The Dog Days of Summer
by MarieKavanagh
Summary: Ten year old Sirius Black cannot understand why the rest of his family seems to dread their annual summer holiday to his grandfather's Suffolk country estate. To him, a visit to Noire House during the dog days of summer is the highlight of the year. But when Sirius's idea for the perfect holiday souvenir goes awry, the consequences of his actions are chaotic and unexpected ...
1. Chapter 1

As an unofficial rule, the members of the extended Noble and Most Ancient House of Black were required to spend a minimum of a week of the summer season of each year holidaying at Noire House, the family's grand country house buried deep in the heart of rural Suffolk. A great manor whose aged facade of grey stone reminded any approaching visitor more of a haunted house than a seat of nobility on first sight, the house was set at the heart of a large country estate (also owned by the Blacks), consisting of tumbling meadows and fields, bordered by thick forest and warded by every protection against Muggle and Magical enemy alike.

Family legend told of the estate having previously belonging to a wealthy family of Muggles many hundreds of years ago, who seemed to all mysteriously fall prey to a surprisingly isolated bout of the plague just a few days after a tall, black-haired man in a long, flowing cloak and pointed hat was spotted by nearby farmers admiring the manor house from afar. The fact that the peculiar visitor had happened to be on the lookout for a suitable location for which to set up his household and an estate in which to invest his considerable assets was purely coincidence, or so the locals told each other loudly in public in spite of their inner suspicions, for fear that the same plague should somehow find their door on which to come a-knocking.

The manor house, curiously renamed to Noire House, had ceased to be a topic of conversation within the Muggle village just a few short weeks after the dark, mysterious stranger and his peculiarly-dressed family acquired it, for it seemed to somehow vanish from the facade of the countryside altogether, never to be seen or heard of by those lacking the purest of wizarding blood again.

It was here that the Black family patriarch and selectively enthusiastic member of the Wizengamont, Arcturus Black, lived out his latter years. A formidable, famously ill-tempered man who's facade was as aged and grey as that of the house in which he'd set up home just over a decade ago, Arcturus wiled away his days as any respectful elder of a family belonging to the Sacred Twenty-Eight should; pouring over the family records with his critical, iron gaze, snapping angrily at whichever of his many unfortunate house elves had left a smudge of dirt lingering unchecked on one of his many self-shot wampus-skin rugs and complaining bitterly about the lack of the respect he was entitled to being shown towards him by his family members through their disgraceful lack of visits to him at Noire House - to whichever particular member of his aforementioned family had taken one for the team and visited the head of their family that day.

Several years of trial and error had taught the members of the various branches of the family that the best way to keep the temperamental old dragon of a family patriarch appeased (and to secure next year's gold allowance) was to ensure that each branch of the family sacrificed a part of their summer season to holiday at Noire House for a fun-filled week of socialising, jarvey-hunting and relaxation (once Arcturus had turned in for the night at precisely nine o'clock, as he did every night).

It was simply one of the less savoury part of being a member of the House of Black - learning to endure these yearly visits with a perfected facade of enjoyment, an act practised and perfected to the point where they could almost convince themselves that the aged patriarch believed them. This was the case for every member of the Black family, except one.

Nine-year-old Sirius Black III was baffled as to why he seemed to be the only member of his family who avidly looked forward to their annual summer trip to Noire House at the beginning of each August. Since he was old enough to remember, in the week leading up to their departure from Grimmauld Place, he had watched his father grow even more grim-faced and withdrawn and his mother grow even more short-tempered and snappy as she organised the house elf's packing of their belongings into large trunks for the trip, each one stamped large and proud with the Black family crest, as if there were some chance of the crates getting lost on the journey between fireplaces.

They seemed to positively dread it.

"Why on Earth you insist on us spending a whole three weeks up at the house this year is still beyond me, Orion Black" complained Walburga as she tapped her fingers impatiently against her crossed arms.

She was supervising her two sons as they fastened their travelling cloaks around them for the journey to Noire House. Sirius had quickly realised that today was a bad day to test his mother's patience - his attempt to argue that there was no point wearing his travelling cloak for a Floo trip that would take but a few seconds had been quickly snuffed out by his mother waving her wand at him which set his cloak draping itself firmly over his shoulders, bearing down on him heavily with an uncomfortable weight that only lifted when he at last began to obediently buckle the fastenings across his chest.

"We are going because he is my father, Walburga, and the head of this family, in case you have forgotten" Orion replied, examining his reflecting in the gold-framed mirror above the fireplace.

"Of course I haven't forgotten" said Walburga waspishly as she briskly took over the fastening of her younger son's cloak buckles from his own clumsy fingers. "I simply don't see why the usual fortnight's visit wouldn't suffice this year"

"I wasn't aware there was a limit on the appropriate time one should spend with one's family" Orion's voice was wry as he brushed a ringed finger over his moustache, smoothing down a rogue hair or two. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you that my father hasn't been in the best of health this year"

"And don't we know about it" Orion's wife retorted sharply.

Regulus's cloak now complete, she grasped each of her boys firmly by the chin and tilted their faces from side to side by way of inspection, with Sirius having to endure the rogue strands of his feathery black hair being firmly smoothed down before he was deemed presentable.

"I suppose your sudden desire to spend the better part of a month in the company of your father has nothing at all to do with him complaining about your shameful lack of visits during his bout of the flu last winter in his twice-daily letters? I don't recall you being anywhere near this enthusiastic last year"

"We will be late" said Orion firmly, his tone dismissing the possibility of suggestion that this conversation was anything other than finished. "We are expected at twelve o'clock sharp"

Sirius pretended not to have seen the glare his father's grey eyes shot at his mother, with a subtle nod to their two sons. Clearly, his father did not wish for either him or Regulus to hear the rest of the argument that would surely resume once the pair had been sent off to bed that evening.

Sirius's father strode towards the fireplace, a wordless gesture for his family to follow him. With a hand gripped firmly onto the shoulder of each of her sons, Walburga steered them forwards to stand beside her husband, who reached for the ornate, silver jar of Floo powder on the mantle.

The only thing Sirius understood about his parents' words regarding their upcoming trip to the country was that they should not, under any circumstances, be repeated in front of Grandfather. But otherwise, their lack of excitement surrounding the trip baffled him.

Sirius himself couldn't wait to get out of London. Despite having to endure the company of his grandfather and whichever other relatives had decided to visit during their stay, the trip to the Black country estate was the highlight of the young wizard's year. He relished the fresh, summer air of the Suffolk countryside, untainted by the coal-smog of the Muggle-dense city he was forced to call home for the rest of the year. He practically brimmed with excitement at the thought of endless fields to run about in, instead of the small, concrete rear yard of Grimmauld Place he was confined to on dry days. And he absolutely couldn't wait to be free of the constraint of the schoolroom, and all the expectations and criticisms of his performance that came with it.

What Sirius loved most of all about the visits to Noire House was that, aside from the scheduled audiences with his stern-faced grandfather after breakfast and dinner each morning and evening (which always left his little brother Regulus trembling), he was almost entirely left alone to his own amusement - provided he kept out of trouble, that was...

Sirius dug his nails harder into the bark of the tree branch he was clinging to, hiding high above the forest ground from his little brother.

"Sirius! It's not funny anymore, where are you?!" Regulus's anxious voice called out into the trees.

Sirius held back a snicker at the sight of his seven year old brother running about, frantically searching for him.

It was Sirius who had suggested hide-and-seek as their game for the afternoon, irritatingly aware that Regulus would refuse to join him in a race to see who could hop across the river via the slippery stepping stones the fastest, and that he was too nervous to poke sticks down the deep burrows in the forest floor to try and flush out a jarvey or two.

Sirius had made it his goal this summer to find and catch one of the highly elusive jarveys. He was fascinated by the ferret-like creatures, with their long, slinky bodies and curious power of speech. Last summer, he had been allowed to accompany his father, grandfather and uncles on a jarvey hunting expedition. The Black estate was well-known fot boasting a high population of jarveys, ripe for the hunting for their skins, which could be sold for gold which could be fed back into the estate. Several times each summer season, the estate would play host to hunting parties, attended by members of the other high-standing Pureblood families.

Sirius had brimmed with excitement at the prospect of catching jarveys on his first hunt last year. He'd practically jumped up and down on the spot with glee when grandfather's expertly-trained crups drove the first jarvey out of its burrow, only stifling his excited cheer after receiving a firm jerk on the back of his robes from his father.

"Be still, boy" Orion had snapped at him, leaning close to his ear, though his eyes darted around to ensure none of the other wizards in attendance had noticed his son's foolish display. "Do you want to scare it back into the burrow?"

But when the jarvey in question began screeching out a long, loud stream of expletives, Sirius could not possibly contain himself. He burst out laughing in a fit of juvenile splutters, which only aggravated the jarvey further, causing it to swear all the more louder, spitting its foul tirade at Sirius.

Unaware of the effect his howls of laughter had on the creature, Sirius was only saved from serious injury when Orion instinctively cast a shield charm between his son and the jarvey as it lunged, teeth and claws bared, at Sirius's face.

Bouncing off of the magical shield, the jarvey tumbled into the undergrowth and quickly scrambled away before any in the party could catch it.

Sirius had been punished for ruining the hunt by being kept shut inside the house for the rest of the week, unable to run free in the sunshine, with only the books of his grandfather's vast library and his mother and aunts for company.

This year, Sirius was determined to prove his family wrong in their declaration that he was clearly still far too childish to attend a jarvey hunt (as Orion had sharply declared as he practically dragged his son home by the scruff of his robes), by catching one all by himself and presenting it proudly to his father and grandfather.

But his plan would have to wait for today. Regulus, being the tiresome bore that he was, refused to allow Sirius to poke sticks down holes suspected to be the homes of jarveys, tugging at his robes and whining about the risks of the creatures' sharp teeth and claws. And since his little brother was far too anxious to go back into the house by himself for fear of running into Grandfather, Sirius was stuck with the boy trailing after him for the afternoon.

And so he had suggested hide-and-seek. A nice, safe game that didn't make Regulus's grey eyes go wide with nerves. Sirius had left his brother to count to twenty by the back door of the house, and the second Regulus's hands covered his eyes, the elder brother was off like a shot, galloping across the vast, empty field towards the dark of the tress up ahead.  
Mama always warned them every morning after breakfast, before they were shooed outside to play, not to go too far into the forest. Unfortunately for Regulus, his bold big brother had a very different definition of "too far" than he did.

Sirius darted through the trees, skilfully leaping over fallen logs and skidding round rocks and mounds in his path, until the sunlight-bathed clearing was far behind him.

At last, Sirius found the perfect tree to take for a hiding spot. It's branches jutted out at convenient angles for him to climb, and its foliage hung thick and heavy enough to hide him within. He tugged open the clasp of his cloak (which Mama forced them both into every morning before they were released from the house, regardless of it being the height of summer), letting it fall to the forest floor, abandoned.

Sirius clawed his way up the tree confidently. Unlike Regulus, he loved climbing trees, relishing the feeling of being high up above the ground, a view he was otherwise denied since Papa still refused to get him his first broomstick. Once he was about five or six metres up, Sirius crawled along one of the stronger-looking branches and settled down to lie in wait for Regulus to come looking for him.

It was really rather relaxing, laying there in the shade of the trees, though still feeling the warmth of the sun leaking through the minute gaps in the leaves, sighing peacefully. There was never any chance to do this at home in grey, dreary London. If there were any trees to fall asleep in, Sirius hadn't found them. Besides, the smog of the city meant there were no trickles of warm sunlight to bask in.

Sirius closed his eyes, his head rested on his arms, and listened to the sounds of the jobberknolls whistling and flapping about him. Today was a good day. There were no near-death birds nearby to ruin the serenity of the forest with their unappetising shrieks.

Sirius had spent most of the previous afternoon attempting to knock a jobberknoll out of the trees by throwing stones at them, but his aim hadn't been very good. He'd cursed with words that made Regulus's eyes stretch as wide as saucers, complaining that he didn't yet have a wand to hurl the stones more accurately with magic.

It was close to half an hour before Sirius finally heard the soft footsteps of his brother trudging cautiously through the forest in search of him. He lifted his head, tilting it towards the sound of his brother's voice calling for him. A moment later, Regulus's little form, obediently still clad in his own cloak, came into view below.

"Sirius?" Regulus called out, a trace of worry evident in his voice. "I don't want to play anymore, I can't find you!"

Sirius smirked to himself as he crouched lower behind a branch bearing a thick coat of leaves, hiding himself further as Regulus craned his head up at the canopy.

"Sirius, come out! I don't like this anymore!" Regulus's anxious voice called again.

Regulus was now directly below Sirius's tree, coming to a halt beside it and gasping at the sight of Sirius's cloak discarded on the ground. The younger boy picked it up and clutched the material tight.

"Sirius! Please, come out! This is too scary now!"

Regulus's voice wobbled. He was clearly close to tears.

At that moment, Sirius suddenly released his grip on the branch he was clinging to and fell to the forest floor, landing in a heap directly in front of Regulus, who screamed in surprise.

"Got ya!" Sirius shrieked as he landed, ignoring the dull ache in the arm he'd landed on and jumping up at his brother with a wide, cheeky smile.

"Sirius!"

Regulus gave his brother a half-hearted shove to the chest before wiping his eyes quickly on the back of his robes sleeve.

"Scared you, didn't I?" Sirius asked gleefully, barely acknowledging the shove.

"Don't do that!" said Regulus with a sniff. "I was really worried! I found your cloak and- I thought you'd been got by- by a wampus or something!"

"Don't be daft Reg" said Sirius airily, snatching his cloak back from his brother and slinging it over his shoulder. He neither noticed nor cared about the dirt stains and twigs clinging to the thick material. "There aren't any wild wampuses in Britain, you know that"

"Well it was still a mean trick. I thought something had got you" Regulus whimpered.

Sirius tossed his head, barking out a laugh.

"No stupid creature would be daft enough to cross me" he said, throwing an arm around his brother and clasping him tight. "I'd take it down, no problem"

"But you fell off of one of Grandfather's hippogriffs when he tried to teach you to ride, last week"

Sirius shot his brother an irked glare.

"Do you want me to leave you here in this forest for the wampus to get you?"

Regulus's eyes were with alarm.

"But you said there weren't any wampuses!"

"Come on Reg, I thought you were supposed to be the good one who listened to Mama" said Sirius with a smirk as he took his brother by the hand and led him back down the forest path towards the clearing. "Don't you remember what she said last night? After dinner, when I said I didn't know where half the after-dinner cake had gone?"

"She said that no word from your mouth could ever be trusted to be true" Regulus parroted obediently.

"Exactly" said Sirius.

The two brothers walked for several minutes. Sirius could feel his little brother's tense muscles begin to relax the closer the got to the clearing.

Suddenly, Sirius skidded to a halt just as the edge of the forest was coming into view at last. Releasing his hold on Regulus's hand, he suddenly darted off of the main path towards a large mound of soil he'd spotted not far away. He dropped the cloak slung over his shoulder in his haste. It landed in the dirt where Regulus picked it up a moment later, carefully brushing the soil from the material.

"Sirius, come back!" Regulus urged, scurrying after him. "What is it?"

"It's a jarvey burrow!" said Sirius excitedly. He sunk to his hands and knees in the dirt, ignorant of the generous addition to the dirt smudges tarnishing his robes. "It must be! Look at it, it's just the right size"

"So?"

"What do you mean, 'so'?" Sirius snapped, eyeing his brother with annoyance. "It's a jarvey burrow, Reg! It's an opportunity, to prove Papa wrong at last!"

"You're not seriously going to try and catch a jarvey again, are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sirius was irked by the obvious tone of disbelief in his brother's voice. He scrambled to his feet and walked over to stand in front of Regulus, looking down at him, hands on his hips.

"You saying I can't catch a jarvey?" he demanded.

"Well-" Regulus shrank a little under his brother's stony gaze. "It's just-"

Sirius's stare hardened threateningly.

"You don't even have a wand yet" Regulus finished feebly.

Sirius tilted his head up high in an unconsciously haughty gesture.

"I don't need a wand" he said confidently. "Anyway-"

Sirius kicked a nearby stone with the toe of his shoe, leaving a scuff mark on the expensive leather.

"-Papa won't let me join the proper jarvey hunt again, after last year. But if I bring him one and show him that I'm just as good as them, then he'll be sorry"

Sirius marched over to a nearby tree, where broken twigs lay scattered around the trunk. He snatched up a sizeable stick and swished it in the air, as if he expected a stream of sparks to emit from the end.

"Who needs a wand, eh?" he asked with a snicker at his brother.

"Any wizard with sense" was the answer Regulus wished he had the bravery to tell his overconfident elder brother, but after his previous threat to leave him here at the mercy of the wampus which may or may not be crouching in the bushes at this very moment, he held his tongue.

He watched, his fists balling the material of his cloak anxiously, as Sirius crouched by the suspected jarvey den and posed his stick to poke it deep inside the dark mouth of the tunnel.

"Sirius, wait!" he called out suddenly, making his brother jump in surprise.

"Now what?" Sirius sighed, scowling at his brother impatiently.

"Please don't do it, if there is a jarvey in there, you'll just make it angry by poking it, and it'll bite and claw you!"

"Bloody hell, Reg, don't be such a bore!"

Regulus winced slightly at Sirius's bad language. Mama had given him such a clip round the ear the first time she had heard Sirius use that phrase that he'd been cautious not to let her hear him ever since, such was the severity of her threat to take away his voice for a week if he dared to utter the words again. But that didn't stop him letting loose when the only witness was his little brother.

"But you need a wand to catch it properly!" Regulus protested. "And besides, the stick won't flush it out anyway. Don't you remember what Professor Weston said when we studied jarveys last month? Only the crups can drive them out of their burrows. They won't be scared by your stick, just angry"

Any other time, Sirius would snap that his brother was an insufferable know-it-all, reciting their tutor's lesson word for word, but on this one occasion, he was distracted by his brother provided him with just the brainwave he needed.

"Yes, that's it, Reg!" Sirius said, scrambling to his feet urgently, dust clouds billowing around his robe hems, dirtying them further. "We need a crup!"

"And how are we going to get one?" Regulus asked. "Ask Grandfather?"

"No" Sirius retorted, as though his brother had said something laughably stupid. "He'd never say yes. We'll just go to the kennels and get one"

"We can't steal a crup, Sirius!"

"It's not stealing, Reg, it's just borrowing. We'll give it back when we're done"

Sirius strode along the forest path towards the clearing, leaving Regulus to hurry along after him in his wake for fear of being left behind.

"The kennel keeper won't just let us borrow a crup, Sirius. He'll tell Grandfather and we'll get into such trouble!"

"That old half-blood? He'll be fine with it, he likes us" Sirius replied dismissively. "Anyway, he can't really deny us, can he? We're Blacks, and he just works here"

His mission clear in his mind, Sirius took off into a sprint the second they were free from the shade of the trees, bounding though the grassy meadow towards the kennel building in the distance, his little brother at his heels, still carrying his elder brother's cloak, panting from the effort of trying to keep up with his pace.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sirius! Slow down!"

Regulus's words were muffled by his pants as he raced across the grassy meadow after his elder brother. If Sirius could hear his calls, he ignored them, charging ahead relentlessly towards the kennel building at the far end of the pasture.

At long last, the enclosed sound of the yapping of crups filled the air as they approached the building at last. Regulus staggered to a halt beside Sirius at the front gate of the mesh wire fence surrounding the building, bent double and staring down at the ground as he fought to regain his breath.

The sudden rattling sound of metal drew up his gaze to find Sirius yanking open the wire gate of the fence surrounding the building.

"Sirius, I really don't think we should be doing this" said the younger boy as he reluctantly followed his elder brother into the compound.

"It'll be fine, Reg" replied Sirius dismissively. "Just leave it to me, alright?"

Regulus clutched his brother's cloak (which Sirius seemed to have no intention of putting back on any time soon), gripping it tightly as if for support as he walked, following Sirius's confident march through the door and into the darkened kennels.

The pungent smell of straw and dog fur hung heavy in the air and neither boy could help wrinkling their noses automatically as they entered the kennels. But they were quickly distracted by the fierce onslaught of loud barking that flared up within seconds of them entering.

Each side of the long, narrow building was divided into sections, creating a series of large pens, each one with a barred door facing into the central walkway. Through the bars of each door protruded a large cluster of curiously-twitching black noses, each one attached to an over-excited little dog that clamoured over its kennel-mates, letting out a sharp, high-pitched bark as it fought to get a look at the new arrivals to their world.

At the rear end of each pile of wriggling crups, a mass of distinctive, white-tipped, forked tails wagged to and fro furiously.

Regulus's first instinct was to back away from the rather intimidating creatures as they strained their barking mouths with their gleaming, white teeth through the bars in his direction. All he could seem to picture in his mind as he stared into the yapping mouths of the dogs was what those many, impeccable teeth could do to the soft skin of a jarvey's neck.

Sirius, however, much to his little brother's alarm, had gone rushing over to the bars of the nearest kennel and had knelt down on the slightly damp concrete floor to examine the dogs at eye-level.

"Sirius, don't! Come away!" Regulus urged his brother, his eyes widening in alarm as his brother leaned in for a closer look at the snapping jaws of the crups. His brother was almost nose-to-nose with the dogs, which Regulus could only see ending in disaster.

"Come and look at them, Reg!" Sirius said excitedly, ignoring Regulus's plea point blank and waving his hand for his brother to join him. "Aren't they brilliant?"

"That's... not the word I'd use" Regulus mumbled, making no effort to obey his brother's wishes and join him in front of the barred kennel door.

"Don't talk daft, Reg" Sirius scoffed with a chuckle. "You're not afraid of a few mutts, are you? They only want to play"

Sirius reached out a hand to stroke the tip of one of the black noses that strained eagerly through the bars towards him.

"I'd watch yourself if I were you, lad. They may be small, but I assure you, their bite is sharp"

The sound of the distinctly adult voice sent the heads of both boys whirling round towards the kennel door where stood the kennel manager, an aged half-blood wizard dressed in worn, dirty clothes and a cloth cap with frayed edges crammed over the top of his messy, greying hair, complete with a look of clearly-feigned sternness mingled with amusement on his lined face at the sight before him.

"They won't bite me" Sirius replied confidently, his tone taking on a somewhat haughtier air as he addressed the man than it had when speaking to his brother. "Look at their tails, they're wagging them. They just want to play, that's all"

"Oh aye, those tails may be wagging, but they'll quite happily nip you in passing and think nothing of it, believe you me" the kennel manager replied, brushing down the front of his work clothes, sending a cloud of dusk billowing into the sunlight-streaked air around him.

He was clearly unphased by the superior way in which the young Black spoke to him.

He strode up to stand beside Sirius, leaning casually against the kennel wall.

He stuck out his hand for Sirius to see.

"See them?" he said, nodding at the variety of pinkish scars littering the skin of his hand and arm. "Them dogs have one hell of a playful nip. So I'd watch them fingers if I were you. Best not poke them through the bars"

Sirius scowled sulkily, disgruntled at being told off. Nevertheless, he pulled back the hand he had poised to reach through the bars to pat the dogs and rose to his feet, crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest.

"Although, there is one trick..."

The wizard rummaged in his deep trouser pockets, pulling out a handful of small dog biscuits.

"Very food-drive, crups are" he explained to the two boys watching him keenly. "Eat anything you leave lying around, they will. And I mean anything. But they do have a special fondness for biscuits. Here, watch"

The wizard reached out his handful of biscuits towards the bars, causing the crups behind them to grow all the more excited, snapping wildly. But as the crup at the front of the pack received his reward of a single biscuit from the wizard's fingers, he seemed to melt instantly. Gone was his tense posture, his lashing tail calmed to a pleasant wag and he licked at the kennel manager's hand fondly, begging for another, the imagine of docility.

"There now, see? One biscuit and they'll sooner bite their own tails off than give you a nip, lest they risk being denied another"

"That's brilliant" Sirius breathed with an excited grin. "Can I try?"

"Best not" said the kennel manager, pocketing the rest of the biscuits, much to the dismay of the rest of the pack. "Wouldn't want to risk you losing any of your fingers quite so young. Now, might I ask what brings you two boys here today? I can't think what two young lads like yourself would want to be hiding away in a stuffy old kennel for on a sunny day like this"

Regulus opened his mouth to explain.

"We were just-"

"We've come to borrow a crup" said Sirius instantly, his tone decidedly more serious and demanding now that they'd gotten down to business.

He seemed to stand up straighter, his chest pushed out, eager to scrounge every last crumb of height available at his disposal. "The best hunter of the lot, if you please. We'll bring it back later today"

To Sirius's obvious annoyance, the kennel manager chuckled to himself in amusement.

"Oh aye, you're wanting to borrow a crup, are you?" he asked, sticking his hands into his trouser pockets casually. "And what would you be wanting one of them for, hmm?"

"For hunting, obviously" Sirius replied, putting on his best impression of the stern face he'd seen his parents adopt when dealing with impertinent staff. "We've a jarvey to catch. And it needs to be quickly, this afternoon, so make sure it's one with a good catch record, please"

The older wizard shook his head, smiling in bemusement.

"No can do, I'm afraid, lad" he said, dismissively.

"And why not?"

"Sirius..."

The younger Black felt uneasy hearing his brother's attempt at making demands. They were sure to be in so much trouble if the adults found out about his impertinence.

"Not now, Reg"

Sirius didn't look at his brother. He kept his gaze bravely fixed on the older man before him, though Regulus could see his fingers beginning to fidget with a loose threat on the inside of his robe sleeve, one of Sirius's few signs of nerves.

To Regulus's relief, the kennel manager did not look angry with his brother. He merely seemed amused at the sight of the nine-year-old boy before him, pretending to be Lord of the Manor for the day.

"Look, just let me borrow the crup, alright? I said we'll bring it back in a bit" Sirius's voice had dropped an ounce of its grandeur.

"Come now, lad, you don't honestly believe I would just let you walk out of here with one of these dogs, do you?" the half-blood asked, jerking his head towards the pack of crups in the kennel behind him.

The dogs had calmed, somewhat, bored of the new arrivals now. Some had wandered off to snooze in the sun in the outside run of their kennel whilst others tussled with each other, playfully snapping at their ears and tails.

"Well, why not?" Sirius asked, valiantly attempting to keep up his appearance of entitlement.

"Because they're valuable working dogs" said the man. "More to the point, they're your grandfather's working dogs. I can just see his face when I tell him one of his best hunters is gone because I let his eight-year-old grandson walk out of here with it, can I? I'd be for the sack before sundown"

"I'm nine, actually, not eight" Sirius snapped, indignant. "And I wouldn't lose it! We just need one to catch a jarvey quick!"

The kennel manager chuckled again, shaking his head.

"You're a right piece of work, young sir, that's what you are" he laughed to himself. "It's not as simple as letting the dog loose in the forest and waiting for it to drop a dead jarvey at your feet, you know. It takes practice. A crup is a tool, not a servant, lad. You need to know how to use it, guide it, not simply order it to bring you what you want and wait for it to do so. You won't be catching no jarveys on your own for a good few years yet, I'll bet. If memory serves, aren't you yourself currently banned from going along with any further hunts after last year's debacle?"

Regulus bit his lip anxiously as he watched his brother's face flush red with humiliated anger.

"Now, best be on your way, boys" said the kennel manager, digging his wand out of one of his deep pockets. "It's time I got on with the mucking out and I doubt you'd want to stick around for that, now, would you?"

"I don't care a jot about no bad smells" Sirius snapped, moodily, all trace of his former attempt at superiority gone, replaced by a distinct air of childish sulkiness.

"I'm sure you don't" replied the aged wizard with a smirk, flicking his wand towards the small storage shed at the far end of the kennel block.

The door unlatched itself and out flew a succession of much shovels, each one floating gracefully into a kennel pen. The sound of metal scraping on concrete filled the room and each shovel appeared once again, floating up and over the walls of the pens to deposit a scoopful of soiled straw bedding each into the large wheelbarrow that had parked itself in the middle of the walkway.

"But I expect your mama wouldn't be too pleased if you arrived back at the big house for your tea with muck all over your robes, hmm?"

His words, though patronising in tone, rang with truth. Clouds of dusk rose from each of the pens as the straw and sawdust were scooped out and the occasional piece of muck dropped from the air from the overloaded shovels.

"Come on, Reg, lets get out of here" said Sirius, turning away from the older wizard and grabbing his little brother by the sleeve of his robe.

Regulus allowed Sirius to pull him back up the walkway towards the door, only too happy to get out of the stuffy building.

He did, however, crane his neck round to shoot an apologetic farewell smile at the kennel manager, who tipped his flat, cloth cap at the young Black before turning his attention back to the cleaning going on around him.

"You were so rude to him, Sirius!" Regulus scolded his brother as they left the building, the blinding light of the warm sunshine washing over them.

"No I wasn't!" Sirius snapped back. "I simply wanted what he should have given us"

"He didn't have to give us one"

"Yes he did. He's staff and we're Blacks, which makes them as much ours as anyone else's in the family"

"But you heard him, Sirius. You don't know how to use a crup. And like he said, grandfather would be so cross with us if he found out..."

Regulus shuddered a little. He found Arcturus Black to be an intimidatingly stern figure at the best of times, let alone when he was cross with them.

"That silly old half-blood doesn't know anything" Sirius insisted as he wrenched open the wire gate to the fence of the compound. "And anyway, Grandfather wouldn't be able to be cross with us when we show him that we caught a-"

Sirius paused midway through the gate, suddenly jerking his head in the direction of a faint noise which filled his ears.

"Sirius? What-"

"Shh, Reg. Listen. What's that noise?"

Regulus listened hard. He couldn't hear anything abnormal. The rustle of the tree leaves in the light breeze, the occasional twitter of a bird, the incessant yapping of crups in the distance.

"It's just the crups barking, Sirius" said Regulus.

"No, it's not" said Sirius, jerking his head around in search of the origin of the noise. "It's higher than them. I think it's..."

Without bothering to grace his brother with a reply, Sirius took off, back into the compound and dashing around the corner of the main kennel block.

"Sirius! Come back!"

Regulus hurried after his brother as he darted along the concrete path to a much smaller building, only about the size of a shed, at the far edge of the compound. Regulus could hear clearly now the distinct, higher yapping of dogs coming from the building.

"I knew it!" came Sirius's triumphant shriek as he stood up on the tips of his feet to peer through the small window on the side of the hut. "Cruppies! Come look, Reg!"

Being a tad smaller than his elder brother, Regulus had to jump up to catch a glimpse of the creatures inside the hut before he landed back down again, and by the time he had gotten a successful look at the scene inside, he was quite out of breath.

It was rather dark inside the hut, save for the little gap in the wall leading through to the outdoor run which let sunlight stream through. The floor was thickly bedded with straw, more densely than that of the larger kennels. In the corner, in what appeared to be a nest made of gathered up straw, sat a crup which stared at the two boys through the window, bearing her teeth threateningly at them. She had good right to be wary of strangers. For gathered around her was a cluster of cruppies, each one a wriggling mass of black-and-white fur with lashing little forked tails.

Their little bodies were rounder, chubbier than the sleek, muscular adults and their fur didn't seem to quite shine the same way. On closer inspection, it seemed to resemble more tufty fluff than smooth coat. They pottered about their straw next on stubby little legs, tripping over either their own feet, each other, or simply just the straw bedding, yapping happily as they tumbled about at their mother's feet.

"Aren't they brilliant, Reg?" Sirius gushed as he peered through the window, taking up all of the available space to gaze through at them playing. "How many d'you think there are? I can't count them, they're wriggling about too fast..."

"The mother didn't look too friendly" said Regulus, rather wishing he could get another glimpse at the pups. Despite their snarling mother, the pups themselves had looked quite cute, from what he had seen...

"C'mon, lets get a closer look" said Sirius, dashing round from the window to the locked door to the shed entrance.

"No, Sirius!" Regulus urged his brother as he watched him fiddle with the padlock on the door. "You saw how the mother was growling, she's sure to bite you if you go in there!"

"Nah, she won't. Look what I've got"

With a mischievous grin, Sirius pulled out of his robes pocket several sugar biscuits, the same ones that had been served at yesterday's afternoon tea.

"I bet that old half-blood isn't the only one who can make friends with a crup"

"How long were you going to keep them in there for?" asked Regulus, wrinkling his nose at the crumbs littering the fabric of Sirius's robes.

"Until I got peckish this afternoon" said Sirius. "But, on second thoughts, I think that crup would be better off having them"

"You can't even get in, anyway, it's locked"

"Not for long..."

Regulus tilted his head, puzzled for a moment, before his mouth fell open in shock at the sight before him.

Sirius had wrapped his fingers tight around the padlock, closed his eyes and screwed up his face in fierce concentration.

To Regulus's surprise, and horror, there was a slight rattling of metal as the padlock shook against it's hook and a flurry of minute sparks crackled for several seconds around Sirius's hand.

The padlock came away with a click.

"How did you do that?" asked Regulus in awe.

"Been practising" said Sirius with a proud smirk as he pocketed the padlock. He was clearly very proud of his mastery of his magic at such a young age, even if it was just for this one specific skill.

He suppressed the urge to rub his sore temples. The immense effort of forcing his wild, youthful magic into performing a single, controlled task never failed to give him a throbbing headache.

"Come on, then!"

Sirius eased open the shed door, flinching ever so slightly as the mother crup's growls grew louder over the sound of the creaking wood.

"Hey, it's okay..." he whispered to the crup, crouching slightly as he took a hesitant half-step forward into the darkness of the shed. "Look what I've got, see?"

Sirius held up his palm with the biscuits in clear view. The mother crup's nose twitched slightly, but continued growling relentlessly.

"You want one? Here!"

Regulus winced as he watched Sirius toss one of the biscuits at the crup.

The dog leaped into the air, catching the biscuit neatly in her mouth and crunching it down in a single bite. The pups around her, having seen the food on offer, immediately clamoured around their mother, incessantly yapping, demanding some for themselves.

Regulus could count them now, in full view from behind Sirius. There were six cruppies all together.

"You guys want some as well?" Sirius asked with a grin, breaking up one of his two remaining biscuits into smaller pieces. "Here, then"

He tossed the little pieces at the cruppies, grinning as he watched the little creatures hop in the air, a less graceful imitation of their mother. But still, they each caught the pieces on the first try.

"See, I'm not gonna hurt them..."

Regulus was surprised at how calm and soft his brother's voice was as he spoke to the mother crup, who's growling had quietened once she'd seen her offspring fed by the intruder to their den.

Sirius took another step forward into the den, his palm outstretched with his last remaining biscuit on offer. He crept slowly towards the mother crup, never once taking his eyes off of her, until her twitching black nose was brushing his fingertips.

"Go on, girl, take it..." Sirius murmured to the crup.

And to both his and his brother's surprise, she did.

"Nice work there, lad"

The sound of the kennel manager's voice behind them startled both boys.

Sirius whirled round to see the aged wizard stood behind Regulus with his arms folded and a somewhat impressed look on his face.

"We're sorry!" Regulus squeaked anxiously. "We shouldn't have-"

"Can I have one of the cruppies?"

Sirius's bold question in the face of having been caught breaking and entering sent a wave of nervous shivers running through his little brother like a cold shower. He stared, wide-eyed and disbelieving at his brother, who's empty palm was now being thoroughly licked by an army of little pink tongues. The pups pawed their way over each other to snaffle up every last trace of crumb from his hand, the mother crup content to let her offspring loose on the now-approved-of intruder.

"Afraid not, lad" said the kennel manager with a shake of his head, leaning casually against the shed wall. "Like I said before, these dogs ain't pets, they're working animals. And them pups are the next generation of hunters and showers for your grandfather's bloodline. They're smaller and more cuddly than the adults but they're just as much hard work, believe you me"

"Well if these dogs are the next generation, then they will one day be mine, anyway!" Sirius protested. "So why can't I have one now?"

The wizard chuckled in bemusement again, much to Sirius's irritation.

"You're a clever little so-and-so, I'll give you that, boy" he remarked. "But if they're going to be yours one day anyway then you may as well wait. What's the hurry? Besides, they're no use for your little jarvey-hunting plans today, anyway. They've got the instinct bred into them alright but they've not had the practice yet. Reckon the jarvey would sooner drag them out of the burrow than the other way round"

Sirius stood up straight and tall, clenching his fists tightly in frustration.

"Well if you won't give me one, then I'll ask grandfather myself. After all, as you say, they are his dogs"

The aged wizard sighed, shaking his head again.

"Look, lad, you're doing yourself no favours, harking on about wanting one of these crups, fully grown or not. If it's a pet you're after, you go and ask your papa to get down the Menagerie and buy you a lapdog. You'll be all the happier for it in the long run, trust me"

Sirius's nostrils flared angrily.

"Lapdogs are for girls!" he snapped. "And I don't want a pet. I want a hunter. Come on, Reg, looks like we'll have to sort it ourselves"

And with that, Sirius marched out of the shed and past the bemused old wizard, grabbing hold of his brother's arm along the way.

"Hold up there, boy!" the kennel manager called after the two boys.

Sirius halted and turned round, hesitantly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Sirius flushed slightly as he fumbled in his robe pocket, pulling out the padlock. He tossed it, rather aimlessly, in the general direction of the older wizard, who caught it in midair seemingly effortlessly.

"Cheers" the man called back, doffing his cap. "Oh, and by the way, that's rather an impressive feat of magic. For a nine year old"

Sirius practically stomped all the way back to the house, Regulus trailing in his wake.

Regulus craned his neck back round to shoot the kennel manager another apologetic look by way of farewell.

As the old man doffed his cap to him with a friendly smile, it suddenly occurred to Regulus that they had never thought to ask the man's name.

"You're not really going to ask Grandfather for one of those puppies, are you, Sirius?" the younger brother asked, somewhat nervously. Sirius's mood could be delicate after being refused to have his way. The slightest wrong word could turn his anger towards Regulus. He would regret it later and even offer an apology, but it still stung.

"Cruppies, Reg. They're better than normal puppies. And of course I am" Sirius replied confidently.

"What do you want one for, anyway? You heard the man, the pu- cruppies, aren't trained yet, they won't catch a jarvey"

"I heard what he said, Reg. And that's the point. Don't you see? Think about how pleased Papa and Grandfather will be when they find out I caught a jarvey with my own crup! Not just any old crup, but one I trained all by myself!"

"You can't train a jarvey, Sirius, you don't know how!"

"Yes I do" Sirius's voice was stiff with determination. "I read up on it in a training manual, last week"

"What book?"

"Found it in the library, that day Mama made me stay inside all day"

"Oh yes, after you got caught trying to sneak a worm into the chocolate cake at tea"

Regulus giggled at the memory. He could, in hindsight. At the time, however, the fury on Mama's face was enough to freeze him to the spot completely, and she wasn't even angry at him.

"Yes, that day" Sirius replied, gritting his teeth bitterly at the memory. "Still, all paid off in the end, didn't it? Tomorrow we train a crup!"

"Grandfather's never going to say yes"

"He will"

"How do you know?" Regulus asked, looking up at his elder brother as they reached the rear entrance to the house at last.

The smell of the freshly-baked bread for afternoon tea sandwiches filled the air, making the stomachs of both boys growl hungrily.

Sirius turned to his little brother, flashing him a trademark cheeky grin.

"Because I'll simply tell him what he wants to hear"


	3. Chapter 3

"Sirius Orion, will you sit up properly"

This was the fourth time that the sharp command hissed from his mother's lips had sent Sirius hauling himself up from his slouched position in his chair. He huffed a sigh as he did so, only further provoking his mother, who's nostrils flared dangerously at her son's slovenly posture.

As they did every afternoon of their summer trip to Noire House, the Black family of four - Orion, Walburga and their sons, took afternoon tea together, either in the smaller drawing room of the house or outside on the terrace overlooking the landscaped gardens, English summer weather-depending. It was a daily endurance that had begun at home in London at the beginning of the year, a routine set about at Walburga's insistence as a means of ensuring that her growing sons' table manners were being correctly nurtured - or in Sirius's case, that any unsightly weeds threatening to take root were firmly cut away.

As luck would have it, the family had so far been treated to good weather on the majority of the days of their trip and so had been able to take their afternoon tea outside, much to Sirius's relief. Aside from the welcome fresh air instead of the stuffy drawing room, the outside setting offered richer views and more distractions; the twittering of birds in the trees, the scuttling of the occasional squirrel running up a nearby tree. In short, anything capable of averting his attention away from the constant gaze of his mother, carefully inspecting his every move for fault.

So far today he'd racked up a grand total of five faults in his table manners, if one was generous enough to allow each of his three reminders to correct his posture a point each. Additional to these were his scolding for clanging his teaspoon too loudly against his cup whilst stirring and bolting his sandwiches too fast.

Sirius cast an irritated look across the round, wrought-iron tea table at his younger brother. Ever the perfect example, Regulus sat bolt upright in his chair, delicately nibbling on a cucumber sandwich, still only on his second - Regulus's appetite had always been bird-like compared to his elder brother.

Had the younger boy summoned the nerve to lift his eyes up from staring down at his plate, he would have seen his elder brother's moody gaze willing him to do something, anything out of line that might take their mother's attention away from Sirius for a moment's respite from her scrutiny.

In an attempt to placate his growing annoyance, Sirius reached for another sandwich on the towered, silver stand at the centre of the table, pretending not to notice the disapproving glare his mother sent his way in response.

"Don't eat quite so much in one go, Sirius" Walburga had scolded him only yesterday. "You've had three sandwiches already, that is quite enough. Do you want people to think you greedy?"

Quite frankly, Sirius couldn't care one jot what people thought of how many sandwiches he ate. He was hungry after a morning of running about the fields and he wanted them. But he'd forced himself to hold his tongue on the matter, for once, lest his mother forbid him any cake for as a result of his cheekiness.

Walburga sighed in frustration as she reached across the table with her wand and vacuumed up the spray of crumbs left behind on the tablecloth as Sirius tore roughly at the crust of the bread with his teeth.

Her eyes flickered over to her husband for a moment, as though silently willing him to step in and correct their son's messiness.

In stark contrast to his wife, Orion scarcely seemed to notice whether his sons were sitting up properly or chewing their food properly. His full attention was instead devoted to the book he had levitating beside him, a particularly dull-looking text, from what Sirius could see from across the table, from Arcturus's vast personal collection of magical genealogy studies and records. It was at Walburga's insistence that he be present to help set the right example to their sons that Orion was even sat at the table at all. If he had his way, he would sooner rather take his afternoon tea in the comfort of the library, where, in the absence of his own study at home, he spent most of his free time whilst at Noire House.

Sirius couldn't help but wonder, as he forced himself to nibble far-too-slowly for his liking at a tuna sandwich, that if his father was permitted to keep to his own little world at the table, averting his eyes from the page of his book only to reach for his tea for the occasional sip, then why was he forced to contend with learning how to engage in proper conversation whilst trying to enjoy a meal?

"Sirius Orion!"

His mother's stern hiss abruptly jolted Sirius out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked, looking across at Walburga.

"Pardon" she corrected him with a hard stare.

"Pardon?" Sirius repeated, the sulky undertone of his voice not going amiss to his mother.

"I asked you what you and your brother have been doing today" said Walburga, stirring her tea so delicately that the silver spoon scarcely clinked against the china.

Sirius shrugged.

"Not much" he said, plainly, hoping his mother wouldn't enquire further.

Every day he hoped, and every day he was denied his wish.

"I hardly believe that" Walburga replied, taking a sip of her tea. The liquid in her cup was dark - the stern-faced witch took her tea strong and sugarless, it's bitter taste un-soothed by the addition of milk. "You were out of the meadows for hours with your brother. What did you play?"

"The usual"

Sirius fiddled with the teaspoon on his saucer absent-mindedly, avoiding his mother's gaze.

Walburga reached over with her wand and tapped the spoon with it's tip. It vanished instantly.

She lifted her teacup and saucer as though to take another sip, but it hovered halfway as she addressed her son again.  
"Which is?" she asked, her surface-level pleasantness doing little to hide the warning hidden beneath.

"Same as it was yesterday"

Walburga abruptly lowered her cup and saucer back to the table with a frustrated clang.

"Sirius Orion"

"What?!"

"Enough"

Orion's firm voice subdued the rising anger of both mother and son. He rarely partook in conversation at tea and often his only words spoken were to reign in the tempers of his wife and elder son.

"Sirius, stop being cheeky and answer your mother properly" said Orion, shooting a warning glare across the table at Sirius, who met his gaze for a moment before sullenly looking down at his teacup again.

"We just... played in the forest" he said with a sigh. "That's all"

"Is it really?" asked Walburga, her voice forcibly calm again.

"Yes" Sirius answered, reaching for a biscuit on the silver platter beside the sandwiches.

He nibbled at it, more delicately than he might have if he weren't trying to conceal something from his mother. A nervous tick she knew all too well.

"Regulus" said Walburga, turning to her younger son, who stared up at her, wide-eyed at being addressed directly. "Did you and your brother play in the forest today?"

"Yes, Mama" Regulus instantly replied.

Sirius resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his brother's automatic politeness.

"And what did you do afterwards?" Walburga asked the boy, who's eyes grew wider in a moment of panic. She did not miss the way his grey orbs darted across to his elder brother for a second before he answered her question.

"We went and saw the crups" Regulus confessed, never one to dream of keeping anything from his parents.

Sirius sighed and rested his elbow on the table, his face cupped in his palm sulkily.

The spineless little runt.

"Did you, now?" asked Walburga, glancing from one child to the other.

"And why, pray tell, would you want to do that? Spending such a lovely afternoon in a stuffy, dirty kennel block?"

Regulus had opened his mouth, no doubt to blurt out the entirety of Sirius's plans in one, long, traitorous breath, but his elder brother jumped in to answer first.

"We just wanted to look at them" Sirius loudly interrupted. "After all, doesn't Grandfather have one of the best kennels in England?"

"That is true" Walburga replied, carefully watching her son. "His dogs have taken the Westminster Best in Breed title for.. how many years in a row was it, Orion?"

"Four" Orion replied, plainly, not looking up from his book as he took a bite out of a ginger newt.

"Ah yes, that was it. A record, I believe"

Sirius took another bite of his biscuit, almost daring to believe that the conversation had steered away from the exact nature of their intentions by visiting the crup kennels.

"And then we went round the back and found a shed with cruppies!" piped up Regulus, visibly more at ease now the tension between his mother and brother had subsided.

"Reg!" Sirius snapped in annoyance. Why did his little brother have to be so honest all the time?

"Oh?" Walburga raised a curious eyebrow at Sirius before tilting her head down at Regulus. "Cruppies, you say?"

Regulus's confidence wavered at his brother's annoyed tone, but nodded at his mother nonetheless.

"Yes, there were six of them" Regulus continued, unable to keep quiet now that the floodgates of his confessions had opened.

"Well I hope you didn't get too close" said Walburga, taking another sip of her tea. "Mother crups are fiercely protective of their pups"

Regulus went silent. He looked away from his mother, unable to hold her gaze.

"Regulus" Walburga's voice hardened instantly at her younger son's lack of reply. "You didn't get too close to the crups, did you?"

Regulus bit his lip, a habit he had been scolded out of, aside from fits of anxiousness.

"Yes, Mama..." Regulus replied with a shake of his head, his voice quiet. He stared down at his lap, avoiding both the disapproving gaze of his mother and the angry glare from his elder brother. "We did"

"How close, precisely?" Walburga asked sharply, turning to fix Sirius with an expectant stare.

Sirius tried to district himself by taking another bite of the biscuit in his hand, only to find it vanish from his fingers before he could get it half way to his mouth.

"Answer me, Sirius Orion" Walburga ordered her son, lowering her wand again.

"We did go inside the hut..." Sirius began, cautiously. "But she let us! Honest, Mama, she let us stroke them!"

"How could you both be so foolish?!" Walburga snapped, nostrils flaring angrily.

Regulus seemed to shrink down a little in his seat.

Orion's eyes flickered up from his book at the commotion, a flash of annoyance crossing over his face.

"What's all this?" he said, closing the book floating beside him with a wave of his hand and leaning forward.

"Your sons have foolishly been putting themselves in danger" said Walburga, crossly. "Pestering a crup and her litter. It's a wonder neither of you were bitten!"

"Is this true, boys?" Orion asked, sternly, looking from one to the other.

Regulus nodded, his big, grey orbs glistening with wetness in the sunlight.

"Yes, Papa" he said, meekly. "We're very sorry"

His elder brother, however, would not be so quick to roll over and beg for forgiveness.

Sirius sat up in his chair, straight and defiant, ready to argue his case.

"We did, Papa, but she let us!" he protested. "The mother crup was fine with us. I did the trick with the biscuits-"

"And who taught you how to do that?" Orion asked, unphased by his son's outburst, in stark contrast to his wife's clearly simmering, silent anger.

Sirius faltered. He shrunk slightly, dithering. As much as he didn't want to get into trouble himself, he didn't want to get the old kennel manager into trouble either.

"Sirius" said Orion, sharply. "Who taught you how to gain a crups' confidence?"

"Read it in a book, last week" Sirius mumbled. The lie was a weak one and he knew it. As clearly as he knew how much his parents detested lying.

"It was the kennel manager, wasn't it?" asked Orion. "The halfblood"

Sirius felt his face flush, as it always did when he was caught telling a bare-faced lie.

Orion did not require further, verbal confirmation.

"Both of you are to stay away from the crup kennels in future" said Orion, firmly. "Is that understood?"

Regulus nodded up at his father, his eyes still shining wetly.

"Yes, Papa" he replied, the perfect image of remorse.

Orion turned to look at Sirius, who scowled in distaste at his father's orders.

"Sirius?" Orion prompted the boy, fixing him with a cold, hard stare.

"But-!"

Orion's eyes flashed dangerously.

Resistance was futile and Sirius knew it. But he could never admit defeat without even a token fight.

"Yes, Papa" he finally muttered, staring across the table at the platter of sandwiches.

He slouched down in his seat, sulkily.

Walburga, her temper curbed now that her children had been suitably chastised for their trespasses, gave a single, sharp clap of her hands and the food adorning the table vanished instantly. A moment later, they were replaced by a large Victoria sponge cake, sat atop a shining, silver cake stand with a delicate serpent curling upwards around the neck.

Sirius eyed the cake eagerly, sitting up straight again, all trace of his sulkiness gone.

He watched as his mother delicately cut modest slices of the cake and separated them onto dessert plates before passing them round the table.

To Sirius's horror, however, she had prepared only three slices.

"What about me?"

Sirius looked at his mother, wide-eyed at the injustice of it all.

Walburga sliced away a tiny bite of her slice with her dessert fork before eyeing her son unsympathetically.

"Really, Sirius Orion" she said with a disapproving shake of her head from across the table. "You have behaved sulkily and rudely at the table, you have confessed to behaving irresponsibly and dangerously today-"

"Regulus was there too!" Sirius protested.

Across the table, Regulus sat hunched over, awkwardly picking at the crumbs from his own cake slice with his fork.

"Regulus confessed his wrongdoing and apologised immediately" Walburga said sharply. "You, however, lied to us and then sat there in an unapologetic sulk. I hardly think you deserve any cake today"

Sirius knew that there would be no changing his mother's mind on the matter. He slumped down in his chair again, crossing his arms over his chest in a full-blown strop, giving up all pretence of trying to behave properly at the table.

He averted his gaze beyond the tea table, towards the trees rustling in the light, summer wind. He would not let this be the end of it, he told himself firmly. His parents may think that he was incapable of handling a crup, but they hadn't seen how he had tamed the growling mother earlier that day. That hadn't heard how impressed the kennel manager was with his skill.

Sirius knew what he wanted - a crup of his own to catch his own jarvey with. And he was not about to let something as minor as his parents' disapproval get in his way.

After tea, Walburga had ushered her sons back up to their room to rest before the evening.

Sirius flopped onto his bed, laying on his stomach with his head resting on his arms, moodily.

"Sirius?"

Regulus tiptoed up to his brother's bedside, clearly nervous.

"I'm sorry for telling Mama about visiting the crups..."

Sirius tried to be angry with his brother. He wanted to snap at him that sorry wasn't good enough, that he shouldn't have been such a slimy little snitch in the first place-  
But then he glanced across at Regulus, chewing nervously on his bottom lip, his eyes wide with worry over having displeased his brother.

And he couldn't feel angry with him.

"S'fine, Reg" he sighed, tiredly, staring at the wall across the room.

"I suppose... Having a crup isn't all that fun, anyway" said Regulus in an attempt to placate his brother. "And Papa might let you go back on the jarvey hunt next year"

"Who said anything about us not catching our own jarvey this year?" asked Sirius, leaning up to look at his little brother, his brow furrowed questioningly.

"Well... Papa did say we're not to go back there anymore"

"Well Papa doesn't own the crups, Reg. So who says he can decide if we can or can't go and see them?"

Regulus was silent in bafflement. He cocked his head to one side, eyeing Sirius's defiant smirk with a mixture of both curiosity and dread.

"Oh, Sirius, please don't get us into any more trouble" the younger boy pleaded anxiously.

"Relax, Reg, I'm not going to get us into trouble" said Sirius, to Regulus's obvious relief. "I'm simply going to ask grandfather politely. Don't you remember what Ida said?"

Regulus cast his mind back several weeks, to when their governess, Ida Knowles, had given Sirius a talking-to about how he would gain nothing from anybody without asking for it politely.

But alas, their governess was on a rare holiday home to her parents in Dorset and unable to clarify whether this policy included asking for something which they had already been forbidden.

"You're mad, Sirius" Regulus sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm not mad" Sirius replied, flipping himself over to lay on his back, grinning cheekily up at the ceiling. "I just have more fun"

The one downside of the summer holiday to Noire House for Sirius was the daily torture of dinner. From the upstairs rooms they were confined to during this part of the day, Sirius could smell the rich, aromatic scents of the five-course dinner being prepared downstairs in the kitchen by Arcturus's small army of house elves.

Tonight, amongst the smells Sirius's stomach was being driven wild by was the smell of fresh carrot and coriander soup, roasted duck in plum sauce, along with the usual tortures of goose fat-roasted potatoes and seasoned parsnips. In spite of the teatime sandwiches he had filled up on just a few hours ago, his stomach growled with desire.

When Sirius and Regulus's own dinner was served to them by Kreacher, however, in the room adjoined to their bedroom which served as a makeshift day nursery, the silver cover was removed to reveal a much plainer affair of boiled mutton and potatoes with plain vegetables.

"Master Sirius should be more appreciative" snapped Kreacher with a sneer when Sirius wrinkled his nose in distaste at the meal set before him. "He eats far better than lesser mudblood wretches"

"I bet even a mudblood wouldn't want this when there's roast duck downstairs" Sirius grumbled as he took up his fork and speared a carrot lazily resting his cheek one his palm.

Once the rich aromas of the downstairs dinner had finally drifted away, signalling the end of the meal, the two brothers were roused, their robes were smoothed of creases by the fussing house elf (with much tugging away on Sirius's part) and they were herded downstairs to the drawing room for the required evening audience with their grandfather.

As he did every evening, about halfway through the journey through the house to the drawing room, Sirius could see Regulus tensing with nerves. Today, however, those nerves seemed to have an even tighter hold on him than usual.

Grandfather was a formidable man, often sharp and snappy, with a permanently-stern expression that rarely softened in amusement. Regulus never failed to melt into a nervous wreck every evening as he was brought to stand before his ornate armchair by the fireside.

"You need to be braver, Reg" Sirius had urged his brother many times on their way back up to their bedroom. "You being so nervous only makes him more annoyed, can't you see that?"

But if Regulus could see it, attempting to rectify the problem seemed to be beyond him.

As they entered the drawing room, their arrival announced by Kreacher, the low hum of talking between the adults quietened and all eyes turned to the two brothers.

"Ah, boys" Arcturus remarked gruffly by way of greeting to his grandsons.

Taking a puff of his after-dinner cigar, he placed it on the silver ashtray sat on the end table beside his chair. He raised a hand and beckoned the two boys to come and stand before him.

"Good evening, Grandfather" Sirius greeted Arcturus cheerfully as they stood before him by the fireside.

Opposite the fire sat their parents, at opposite ends of the plush, deep-red velvet sofa; Orion, stiffly sipping his glass of port and forcing himself to take the occasional drag of the cigar he never enjoyed but felt obliged to accept the offer of every evening and Walburga delicately yet furiously fluttering her fan in her face in a bid to combat the roasting temperature of the room.

Despite the warm, summer evening temperatures, Arcturus Black insisted on the fire be stoked as fully as thought the house were gripped by the deathly cold of winter.

"Good evening, Sirius. Regulus" Arcturus nodded at each boy in turn, his dull-grey eyes lingering on the younger in wait for a reply.

"G-good evening, Grandfather" Regulus chirped obediently.

Arcturus huffed disapprovingly at the boy's nervous tone.

"Tell me, then" said the aged Black patriarch, sitting back in his armchair and tapping his knarled fingers on the armrest impatiently. "Have you boys been behaving yourselves?"

Sirius felt Regulus stiffen beside him.

He, however, was made of sterner stuff.

"Yes, Grandfather" he said, confidently with a nod.

"Oh really? Is that so?" Arcturus raised an eyebrow at him.

Sirius nodded again.

"It is" said Sirius, giving his brother a side-tap with his elbow.

Regulus glanced up at his elder brother uncertainly.

The left side of his bottom lip disappeared into the grip of his teeth tellingly.

"Is that so, Orion?" Arcturus asked his son, leaning towards him on his arm rest.

Orion's face remained stony, un-telling.

The cigar in his hand hovered over the ashtray on the end table beside him. He flicked a piece of ash off of the end before replying.

"True enough" he answered his father, not meeting his gaze directly.

"And what is that supposed to mean, exactly?" Arcturus barked. "Have they behaved today or haven't they?"

Orion took a stiff sip of his port.

"There was... a minor incident" he said.

From the opposite end of the sofa, Walburga's eyes flashed across to her husband in a look Sirius could not quite place.

"A minor incident" Arcturus repeated, gruffly. "Would you care to explain, boys?"

In contrast to his obviously-unsettled brother , Sirius stood up straighter and looked at his grandfather straight-on.

"Well, yes, there was this one thing..." he began, earning a curious eyebrow-raise from Arcturus, who's fingers continued to tap on his armrest as he listened to his grandson's tale.

"We went to visit the crup kennels this afternoon" said Sirius, quite oblivious to the disapproving looks he was earning from both of his parents as he so brazenly and cheerfully confessed his sins to his grandfather. "Only we could hear them barking from the meadow where we were playing. And since your crups have taken the Best in Breed title four years running-"

Unbeknown to him, Sirius's father smiled internally in amusement at his son's keen gathering of newly-acquired information to his cause.

"-we just couldn't resist going and having a look at them, you see" Sirius was wide-eyed and innocent throughout his speech. A look that neither suited him nor fooled anyone in the room. "We were very careful, Grandfather, honest. We didn't cause any trouble or get in the way"

"I see" grunted Arcturus.

His mouth had curled upwards into a rare smirk of amusement.

Perfect, thought Sirius, fighting to resist his own urge to smirk.

"Except, it wasn't what you got up to inside the kennel block that was amiss, was it, Sirius?"

Sirius's head whirled round to scowl at his mother, who sat, her stare fixated on her firstborn knowingly.

"Oh?" Arcturus, too, glanced in Walburga's direction. "There's more to this tale, is there?"

"Indeed" replied Walburga, her fan sending delicate the few, delicate strands permitted leave from her intricate hairstyle billowing against the pale skin of her neck.

"Well then. Regulus, what have you to say on the matter, hmm?" Arcturus rounded on the younger of his grandsons, who had, until now, remained in mercifully-allowed silence.

Now, under the beady gaze of his grandfather, he seemed to shrink a little.

Regulus glanced upward nervously at Sirius, as though for approval.

He turned back to face his grandfather just a fraction too late to see the disapproving shake of Arcturus's head.

"We... we went- um..." Regulus stammered out the beginning of his sentence cautiously.

"You went where? Speak up, boy" Arcturus barked at the younger brother, who flinched visibly at his sharp tone.

"We heard some strange barking, so we went round the building to investigate" Sirius took over, silencing a grateful Regulus. "And we found the shed with the mother crup and the litter of cruppies"

"Ah, did you now?" said Arcturus, his attention focused solely on Sirius once again.

"Yes" Sirius nodded. "And they were wonderful! We hadn't seen cruppies before. It was brilliant to see then playing in there. I'm sure they'll make great hunters one day"

Arcturus huffed in agreement.

"They'd better" he said. "The dam has the best catch record of the lot and the sire took Best in Show at Westminster last year"

Sirius pushed aside thoughts as to what "dam" and "sire" were supposed to mean in favour of perusing this vital conversation further.

"They definitely looked like they will, Grandfather" Sirius agreed, enthusiastically. "In fact..."

He looked away and shuffled from one foot to the other - a calculated gesture lasting just long enough to ensure the Black patriarch was giving him his full attention.

"I've been thinking, Grandfather..."

"Oh yes? Will wonders never cease?" Arcturus chuckled, drily.

Sirius replied with an obligatory grin, silencing the flash of annoyance within him.

"I've been reading the books in your library, on crup training. And seeing the crups today made me realise that I'd really like to learn more about them. Perhaps even... train one of my own?"

Sirius was so certain that he'd buttered his grandfather up enough to guarantee his request would be granted.

And so, when the aged wizard cackled with laughter at him, he was taken aback.

"Well, now. That is a good one" Arcturus remarked. "Pups training pups. Whatever next?"

Sirius could not keep the indignant scowl off of his face at his grandfather's words.

"But it's true, Grandfather!" he reported, just about managing to keep his tone respectful enough to not aggravate the old man. "I'd really like my own crup. One of the cruppies? Please-"

"No, Sirius"

Orion's sharp words drew his son's attention to him.

"But I can do it!" Sirius protested, his frustration threatening to simmer over, replacing his polite facade. "I know I can!"

"You're too young, boy" Arcturus barked with a dismissive wave of his hand. "In a year or two perhaps, but-"

"I'm ready now!"

"Sirius Orion, do not interrupt your grandfather!" Walburga hissed at her son with a sharp warning glare.

Sirius's gaze flitted helplessly between the three adults surrounding him. Beside him, Regulus was practically trembling with nerves at the row threateningly to erupt as the atmosphere grew more tense with each word thrown about the room.

"But why can't I have one of the cruppies?" Sirius whined, his carefully-constructed facade washed away, the stubborn, frustrated boy beneath free for all to see.

"Because they are working animals, boy" said Arcturus, sharply, leaning forward in his armchair. "Not pets. A child's plaything. You think such a finely-tuned pedigree hunter is going to be content to loll about your playroom once you grow tired of it in a week's time?"

"More to the point, I am not having an unruly creature inside the house" remarked Walburga. "Running amok, causing havoc-"

"Not to mention a crup's insatiable appetite" Arcturus jumped in, cutting off his daughter-in-law. "They will devour absolutely anything, be it meat or carpet. Why do you think they live in kennels and not my house, hmm?"

"But I can train it!"

"Train a crup? You can hardly will yourself to behave, Sirius Orion" Walburga shook her head with a bemused smile.

At her remark, Arcturus let out a gruff chuckle. Sirius's eyes flickered round to look at his father, who was himself suppressing a smile that was indeed a sight rarer to behold than that of his own father's.

Sirius felt annoyance bubble within him at the way the adults were treating his request as more of a joke than a matter to be considered seriously.

"I can so train a crup" Sirius snapped at them, scowling furiously. "I managed something already this afternoon! The mother crup let me stroke the cruppies because I knew how to tame her with the-"

"Aha!" Arcturus exclaimed, suddenly. "The root of the crime, at last. I know for a fact that shed is kept securely locked at all times - valuable creatures, those pups, each one is worth five hundred galleons at least, with their pedigree. Out with it then, boy. How did you get in there? I suppose it was that halfblo-"

"No, it wasn't" Sirius quickly jumped to the kennel manager's defence. "He didn't let us in. I- I opened it. With magic"

"Really, now?" Arcturus's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Sirius nodded.

"My, my. Quite a feat for a cub too young yet for school"

In any other circumstance, Sirius would have basked in the fact that his grandfather was clearly impressed with him. But not today.

"You see?" he continued his argument with his new line of defence. "I'm clever! I can train a crup, easy!"

"I've said no, and that's final" said Arcturus, seriously, raising a hand to silence his grandson. Now drop this absurd notion. I don't want to hear any more talk of it"

"But-"

"Sirius, that's enough" said Walburga, firmly, glaring with warning at her firstborn. "Now, both of you say goodnight and then off to bed with you"

Sirius was entirely transformed back to his natural state. He slouched as he mumbled his goodnights to his grandfather and parents before skulking off, following the lead of Kreacher, summoned to return his young charges to their bedroom for the night.

Hot on his heels was Regulus, clearly relieved to be out of the snake pit that was their obligatory evening audience.

"I'll help you practice trying to shoot jobberknowls tomorrow if you like?" said the younger boy, tugging at Sirius's robe sleeve.

Sirius couldn't help but smile a little at his brother's attempt to cheer him up.

"No thanks, Reg" he said, his voice low to avoid his words being picked up by Kreacher's oversized, bat-like ears. "I'm going to go visit the cruppies again"

Regulus's face drained of colour, his eyes widening in alarm.

"But Father said you're not allowed to!"

"Good thing I don't plan on telling him, then, isn't it?" Sirius replied, flashing his brother the cheeky smile that the younger boy had come to take as a sign that whatever trouble they might be in now, worse was surely to come.


	4. Chapter 4

The following day was as gloriously warm and sunny as the one before. Even at only eight o'clock, the morning sun blazed warm, the cloudless sky a rich hue of blue, the gold-and-green meadows surrounding the house bathed in the sun's rays.

As it was every morning, breakfast was served out on the patio. An informal meal, meaning that Sirius and Regulus were allowed to join the rest of the family at the table - so long as they behaved themselves.

As it did most mornings, the conversation around the breakfast table consisted mainly of a steady stream of exceptionally dull comments on how lucky they had been with the weather so far this summer and wondering about how long they would evade the inevitable rainfall for. Sirius tried his best to filter out the boring drivel of the adults as he stirred halfheartedly at his bowl of porridge, occasionally scooping up a spoonful of the stuff only to allow it to fall back into his bowl with a dissatisfying plop.

He wrinkled his nose in dislike and glanced longingly across the table at the platter of pastries laid out in the centre, a look which did not go unnoticed by his hawk-eyed mother.

"Sirius, finish your porridge first" said Walburga, glancing across the table at her son. She stirred her cup of coffee with a silver teaspoon as it was poured from the pot levitating beside her.

"I'm full" Sirius muttered in reply, slouching forward and resting his chin in his hand sulkily.

"If that were so, you wouldn't be eyeing the croissants like a kneazle staring at pot of cream, now, would you?" Walburga arched an eyebrow at her son, knowingly.

"But I don't like it" Sirius argued, changing tactic. He grimaced down at his bowl in distaste. "It's horrible stuff, and they always add too much milk"

"Nonsense" said Walburga, firmly, taking a sip from her cup. "There's nothing wrong with your porridge, it's perfectly fine. Your brother hasn't any complaints"

Sirius glanced at Regulus's bowl beside him. The younger boy had obediently scraped his own bowl clean. Sirius knew very well that his brother disliked the stuff as much as he did, but Regulus stoically soldiered through his serving every morning regardless, never one to complain.

Sirius scowled at his brother, who shrank away from Sirius's gaze, meekly nibbling on the helping of raspberries he'd chosen as his treat for finishing his own porridge.

Sirius glanced around at vast array of foods laid out on the table. Serving platters kept magically warm were piled high with deliciously fried foods; bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns. These were almost exclusively for the men of the family - Walburga's own plate contained a modest helping of scrambled eggs, toast and fruit, but even this meagre affair looked and smelled far more appealing than the bowls of porridge Sirius and his brother had placed before them each morning without their consultation.

Her elder son stared in envy as she delicately speared a chunk of eggs on her fork.

"It's not _fair_" Sirius whined, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms sulkily. "Why should I have to eat it if I don't like it?"

"Because it's good for you" replied Walburga, setting down her fork with a loud clatter, her annoyance at her elder son's misbehaviour clearly growing.

Her sharp gaze darted across the table towards her husband, who's gaze remained firmly fixed on the plate of eggs, tomatoes and bacon before him, occasionally darting sideways to glance at the copy of the Daily Prophet levitating beside his chair.

Orion's input was noticeably absent from breakfast each morning. Aside from a few choice remarks to his father about how the British Galleon was holding up against it's French or German counterpart, the wizard was content to eat his fill in as timely a manner as possible so that he might retreat to the seclusion of the library as quickly as possible and out of the sun.

In a degree of fairness, Orion did tend to be vulnerable to sunburn. Not that this excused his hasty retreat from the breakfast table in his wife's eyes.

"Do you not _want_ to grow up strong and healthy?" asked Walburga, looking the table at her son sternly.

"Not if eating this rubbish is the only way" Sirius muttered, glaring off to the side.

An outright cross-table argument was thankfully averted by the input of Alphard Black, who quickly seized the opportunity to intervene and avert one of his sister's famous fits of temper.

"At least let the boy have some honey on his porridge, Burgie. You never did like that dreadful stuff either, as I recall" he said from where he sat, lounged lazily in his seat on the other side of the table, sandwiched awkwardly between the uninterested Orion and stony-faced Arcturus, who had made no secret of his irritation at the obscenely early hour the family's vulgar black sheep had seen fit to arrive at his house that morning.

The first of the expected relatives to arrive for the jarvey hunt due to take place that afternoon, Alphard had arrived in his own typically unorthodox fashion - startling the poor house elves by arriving with several loud raps on the front door knocker as opposed to arriving via the Floo fireplace as expected - at half-past four in the morning, carrying a suitcase which contained more obscure artefacts from his recent visit to South America than sets of evening robes for the series of grand dinners planned that week.

"So long as he's brought his hunting clothes" Arcturus had growled to his son on the way to breakfast. "But then I wouldn't put it past him to think it appropriate to walk out into the forest in day robes"

Sirius's sour expression eased immediately at his uncle's input, his mouth curving into a smile that did not go unnoticed by his mother.

Walburga shot her brother a glare of mild irritation before returning her attention to her son.

"Sirius Orion, if I allow you some honey on your porridge, will you finish it all?" she asked sternly.

Sirius nodded. It wasn't ideal, but at least some added sweetness would make the horrid stuff slightly less unpleasant.

"Very well" said Walburga, tapping the jar of honey with her wand.

The jar levitated across the table to hover over Sirius's bowl, the spoon lifting itself up to drizzle a thin streak of the golden liquid over the porridge.

It was a disappointingly meagre serving compared to the amount he had hoped to be allowed to ladle onto the porridge himself, but Sirius knew better than to ask his mother for more.

Catching sight of the expectant look on her face, he reluctantly picked up his spoon and began to force down the porridge, trying to focus on the croissant he would finally be allowed to enjoy once his bowl was empty.

When the meal was through at last, Sirius shoved back his chair and pulled his brother off of his chair by the arm, eager to get away from the grown ups and on with his plans for the day.

"Boys, no running off" Walburga called to them before they'd made it more than a few steps towards the gardens that lead through to the meadow.

"But we've finished!" Sirius argued impatiently.

"Your grandfather will be here soon" said Walburga as she walked around the table towards her sons, steering them back towards the house with a hand pressed firmly to Sirius's back. "With Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Druella. You'll stay here to welcome them"

Sirius groaned. It wasn't so much that he disliked his relatives, particularly Grandpapa, who was decidedly less grumpy with him than Arcturus was, but he failed to see any reason why he should have to waste an entire morning stuck inside waiting to simply say a quick hello as they stepped through the fireplace.

And besides, all the talk would surely be of the jarvey hunt that afternoon, which Sirius was still refused permission to attend.

"Can't we just go and play and then come back when they're here?" Sirius asked.

"Absolutely not" replied his mother. "You'll come running in late, covered in dirt like a pair of alley cats. I'm not having you putting on such a shameful display"

Sirius craned his head round to glance back, wistfully, at the sun-bathed gardens. It would be a long few hours spent waiting to taste freedom again.

Shortly after midday, the family were lined up before the great, carved fireplace in the entrance hall, awaiting the arrival of their expected guests. They had been stood here, in almost complete silence, for almost ten minutes now, and Sirius was growing increasingly impatient.

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets sulkily, only to be quickly tapped on the shoulder by his mother beside him. Sirius knew a hint when he was given one. He sighed and pulled his hands out, straightening up as he was expected to.

After a few moments, crackling sounds began to emit from within the fireplace before a sudden burst of bright green flames exploded within the hearth. Out of the flames stepped two wizards; the elder, Pollux Black - a portly man in a handsome, if old-fashioned set of travelling robes - and the younger, the elder of his two sons, Cygnus, in a decidedly newer-looking set of handsome robes and wearing an almost-bored expression.

Two large trunks levitated beside the men as they walked out of the hearth, which fell to the floor with a heavy thud on the parquet floor.

"Dru not with you, Cyg?" Alphard asked his brother with a joking grin as they shook hands in greeting.

"Druella decided to take the girls to stay with her parents for the week instead" he said, bluntly, as he nodded to the house elves huddled in the corner to take the heavy trunk he had arrived with. His tone suggested that the absence of his wife from the family gathering was not a topic he was keen to go into detail on.

The fragile state of peace between the couple was the worst-kept secret in the family, to the point where even Sirius had managed to overhear disapproving talk of the spats between his aunt and uncle.

Of course, no one would ever consider outright confronting the matter. And so, Cygnus's half-hearted excuse for his wife's absence went un-questioned.

Almost.

"After we'd already arranged your visit here for the jarvey hunt?" snapped Arcturus, never one to take an insult lying down. The elder Black shook his head, huffing with displeasure at the rudeness of it all. "Disgracefully rude. You ought not have allowed it"

Sirius glanced up at his mother stood beside him just in time to catch the fleeting look of knowing disapproval that flashed across her face for just a moment at his grandfather's outburst.

With little more than a grunt in response, Cygnus moved swiftly onward, keen to change the subject. He walked on to greet his sister, giving each of his nephews a quick hair-ruffle in greeting, otherwise ignoring them.

Sirius resisted the urge to shake his head in irritation at having his hair tousled. It wasn't so much that he disliked his uncle, but Cygnus scarcely paid either of his nephews little attention other than to shoot them a courtesy glance once in a while.

Of course, they saw much more of him than Uncle Alphard, who always seemed to be off travelling in exotic lands, researching different forms of magic, but Alphard was far more interesting than Cygnus for that exact reason - and when he did return, he could be relied upon to provide exciting tales of far-off lands and curious gifts brought back from his adventures.

Sirius was still patiently waiting to be presented with this trip's offerings. He had wanted to raise the topic with his uncle when he'd first seen him at breakfast but had decided against it. If Mama thought he was being rude, she might forbid her brother to give him anything at all. In any case, Alphard was usually very prompt with his offerings, but perhaps his unexpectedly early arrival had delayed the handing over of gifts. The house elves were probably still unpacking his suitcase. But perhaps this evening, after the jarvey hunt-

"_Sirius!_"

"Huh?"

A hand pressed to Sirius's back, between the shoulders, jolted him forward a little to snap him out of his daydream. Sirius glanced up at his mother to find her staring down at him sternly in reprimand for his lack of attention.

"Your grandfather asked you a question" Walburga prompted him, gesturing to her father, who Sirius suddenly realised was stood before him, smiling in gruff bemusement at his grandson's absent-mindedness.

"Hello, Grandpapa" said Sirius, eyes shining with innocence in an attempt to mask the fact that he had no clue what his grandfather's question had been.

Pollux Black chuckled in amusement, ruffling his young grandson's hair.

Sirius grinned at the weight of the heavy hand on his head. He didn't mind the gesture so much when Grandpapa did it.

"I was asking how you and young Regulus are enjoying your holiday so far" said Pollux. "Regulus here tells me you've been enjoying yourselves out in the fields most days?"

His younger brother stood beside him with a timid smile on his face as he looked up at Grandpapa- a stark comparison to how he had trembled with nerves during their audience with Arcturus last night.

"Yes" said Sirius with a slight shrug. "It's been alright"

"Oh?" Pollux tilted his head. "Just 'alright'?"

Sirius nodded silently, scraping his foot against the carpet, the image of boredom and impatience.

"I'm sorry, Papa" said Walburga with a sigh, placing a hand on her son's shoulder and squeezing tightly. "Sirius Orion has been rather put out about the jarvey hunt, I'm afraid"

Pollux gave his grandson a sympathetic look.

"Oh dear. Your papa not letting you come out with us after last year, is he not?"

Sirius shook his head, scowling.

Pollux chuckled again, clapping the boy on the shoulder sympathetically.

"Quite right too, I'm afraid, boy" he said. "You're a tad young yet. A jarvey hunt is no place for a mere cub. Why, I didn't go out with my first hunt until after I'd started school"

Sirius burned with indignation. He hated being referred to as a child, detested the thought of being considered too young for anything.

"Then why did you all let me come out with you last year?" he asked, balling his fists in indignation.

"Because you promised you'd be on your best behaviour" said Orion, sternly.

Sirius looked up at his father to see the glower of disappointment he so hated - it never failed to fill him with a deep sense of embarrassment.

He felt his cheeks flush red at the memory of his disastrous first jarvey hunt last year.

"But I can do better this year, Papa" Sirius eagerly replied, doing his best to control his urge to shout his case. "I can, really"

"_No_, Sirius" Orion said firmly. "Perhaps next year, but you're still too young at the moment"

Sirius sighed, staring down at the floor, miserably.

His body jolted slightly from the force of his grandfather's heavy-handed pat on the shoulder.

"Never mind, lad" said Pollux with a slight chuckle. "You've got plenty of years ahead of you, the jarveys will still be here next year"

But next year was too far away for Sirius. And the sulky, miserable look on his grandson's face told Pollux as much.

"Why don't you boys run along and play now?" said the elder wizard. "Some fresh air ought to cheer you up a bit"

As expected, the suggestion of his release from his family obligations was enough to placate Sirius. Smiling gratefully at his grandfather, he tugged at Regulus's arm and made to head towards the door, only to be yanked to a halt almost instantly by his mother seizing hold of him.

"Now, don't go too far, boys" said Walburga as she inspected her sons before they were allowed to leave, brushing down their clothes and attempting to smooth down Sirius's unruly hair, giving him a warning shake when he tried to wriggle away. "And take your cloaks-"

"Cloaks?! Merlin's beard, Burgie, it's the middle of summer!"

Walburga's seemingly-permanent scowl only deepened, as it always did when her youngest brother insisted on calling her by the nickname she had wanted to shake off for years.

"I'll thank you to leave matters regarding _my sons_ to me, Alphard" she said, primly, earning herself an amused look from her brother.

"But Uncle Alphard's right, Mama, it's roasting outside" said Sirius, jerking his head away from his mother's hand again. "We don't need them today"

Walburga fixed her firstborn with a stern look.

"Alright-" she said, raising a hand to silence her son as he hissed out a "Yes!" of triumph. "-so long as you make sure you're back in time for tea - in a presentable state. I don't want to see dirt marks all over those shirts"

"We will, promise" said Sirius impatiently, grabbing hold of Regulus before his brother could offer a more solemn promise of his own.

"And stay of of trouble" Walburga called to her sons one more time as they hurried through the hall, bound for the door to the gardens.

"Slow _down_, Sirius!" Regulus huffed as he struggled to keep up with his brother, who had lurched into a sprint the second they made it outside. "What's the rush?"

Sirius sighed, reluctantly coming to a halt in the middle of the landscaped gardens which surrounded the rear of the house to allow his brother to catch up.

"I want to go back to the crup kennels, of course" he said, rolling his eyes at Regulus's automatic disapproving frown.

"Sirius, no" said Regulus, anxiously. "You heard what Papa and Grandfather said last night. We aren't allowed to go back there"

"Who cares?" Sirius groaned in annoyance.

Why did his little brother always have to be such a spoilsport?

Regulus felt his conviction waning. He hated it when Sirius was angry with him. He would be in a horrid mood all day if he he wasn't careful.

"Sirius..."

Regulus sighed, defeated.

"How about..."

He glanced at the flowerbeds and bushes around them.

"Why don't we just stay here for a little while?" Regulus asked. "Surely it would be better to wait until Papa and the others have gone out on the jarvey hunt before we try and visit the kennels? They might catch us when they come down to bring out the hunting crups"

Sirius's moody expression lifted as he considered his little brother's logical points - the ones he'd been far too impatient to consider.

"That's a good point, actually" he said.

Regulus lit up at his brother's approval.

"Okay, we'll stay in the gardens for a while" declared Sirius, as though the idea had been his all along.

Regulus breathed a sigh of relief. He had bought himself some time to relax (it would be a while yet before the men left for the jarvey hunt) and his brother wasn't angry with him for being a spoilsport.

Sirius glanced around at the flower beds.

They were in a rather pitiful state, compared to what they had been. The bushes and shrubs were a tad overgrown and the many flowerbeds were dotted with the occasional thriving bloom, but none as bright and full of life as they had been when their grandmother had tended them.

Sirius felt a tinge of sadness as he recalled memories of listening to his grandmother explain the various types flowers in her gardens to him on sunny afternoons.

Melania Black had passed away less than a year ago - and in that time, the gardens she had once maintained with such pride seemed to have died with her. The house elves had done a fair job at maintaining some degree of neatness in most of the flowerbeds, but they had neither the time nor the passion to keep the gardens up to the same standard that she had.

Sirius caught sight of the sad look on Regulus's face as he looked around at the flowerbeds. His brother seemed to be sharing his melancholy.

"Hey"

Regulus looked over to his brother, who stood with a grin on his face.

"Remember that time when I accidentally let the knarls trash the garden?"

Regulus's face couldn't help but split into a grin to match his brother's at the memory.

"Yes" he said with a laugh. "But I still don't think Granny really believed you when you told her you didn't know not to leave food out in gardens"

It had been three years ago, on a summer's afternoon just as hot and sunny as this. The two boys had been out playing in the gardens - the outside area they were limited to at that time - and Sirius had managed to steal a small pile sandwiches from the kitchens via the back door and had presented them to his delighted brother on the lawn, declaring that they would have their own picnic in the gardens.

However, when there were still several sandwiches left, their mother and chosen the worst possible moment to come out and check that her children were behaving themselves. Sirius had quickly swept the sandwiches under the bushes beside them, mercifully managing to get away with concealing his thievery from Walburga.

But it was a short-lived miracle. Growing tired of their picnic, once Walburga had retreated back into the shade inside the house, Sirius had teased his brother into a game of chase, the hidden sandwiches laying abandoned under the bushes.

The colony of knarls which Melania had been battling to keep at bay for years had swiftly jumped into action, seeing the offering of food as a lure into a trap and proceeding to completely trash the garden; uprooting every flower bed, ploughing deep holes into the pristine lawn and reducing the shrubs to little more than bare twigs.

_"But I didn't know!"_ Sirius had pleaded with their thoroughly-displeased grandmother. _"Honest, Granny, I didn't know not to leave food out in gardens!"_

"_Everyone_ knows you mustn't leave food out in gardens, it was so obvious that you were fibbing" Regulus recalled with a giggle. "Mama wouldn't let you play outside for a whole week. And Granny was furious"

In hindsight, the memory of their petite, delicate grandmother attempting to chastise her grandson for his misbehaviour was quite amusing. Melania Black had never been known to be intimidating - it simply was not a state which suited her.

Regulus suddenly glanced around him at the tall, flowering bushes bordering the gardens.

"Sirius? You don't suppose the knarls are still here, do you?"

"Probably" said Sirius, peering deep into the base of the bushes, half-hoping to spot a small, quill-covered creature poking its twitching little snout out at him. "We can try and lure some out if you like?"

"No, thank you" Regulus quickly shook his head.

He was quite content to remain as far away from trouble as possible, for as long as possible. But when one was Sirius Black's brother, trouble never did seem to be very far away for long.

"Alright" said Sirius with a shrug before flopping down to lay on his back out on the grass, concern for the potential for grass stains on his white shirt gone to the wind.

"We'll just relax here for a bit, then" The elder brother pillowed the back of his head on his hands, and closed his eyes. He breathed a contented sigh and smiled as he felt the sun's rays bathe his face in their warmth.

Taking far more care to avoid getting dirt on his own clothes, Regulus lay down beside his brother, happy to bask in the peaceful sunshine for a while.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deep, savouring the aromas of the flowers infused in the warm, summer air. Such was the tranquillity that he could almost fall asleep...

"Reg, wake up!"

The sound of Sirius's voice and the sharp poke in his shoulder jolted Regulus abruptly out of his slumber.

"What?" Regulus's voice was fuzzy with sleep. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. How long had he been asleep?

"They're leaving!" Sirius hissed excitedly, crouched low as he peered through the gaps in the bushes. "See?"

Regulus turned to look in the direction Sirius pointed. Through the bushes, he could make out the small crowd of wizards, each in a set of beige hunting robes and tall, black hunting boots, making their way down from the house and heading towards the meadow leading to the crup kennels.

"Right, we'll give them a few minutes to get the crups and go, then we'll head down there ourselves"

Sirius voice was heavy with determination, the voice that Regulus had long-since come to see as a warning that there was surely trouble to be found at the end of his brother's plan.

But what else could he do but follow along, regardless?

Sure enough, ten minutes later, the sound of incessant barking echoed across the ground towards the gardens, telling the brothers that the chosen pack of hunting crups had been let loose and were surely dashing ahead of the hunters into the forest, their keen noses pressed to the ground in desperate search of a of jarvey scent trail.

The barking soon tapered off until the air was silent once more.

An excited grin spread across Sirius's face.

"The coast is clear!" he declared, scrambling to his feet. "Come on, Reg, let's go!"

Regulus hastened to follow, chasing after his brother, who had already sprinted his way through the gardens and out into the vast meadow before Regulus had even scrambled to his feet. Sirius hadn't so much as glanced back to check that his little brother was following him - he knew he would be.

Regulus tried to stifle the growing sense of nervousness building inside him as they ran across the grass towards the kennel block. He looked back several times to the house - growing smaller in the distance with each look, half-expecting to see their mother peering out at them through one of the windows.

The now-familiar sound of incessant barking grew louder as the two boys approached the kennels. Panting for breath as they slowed to a walk, Sirius led the way as they walked round the length of the metal fence towards the entrance.

"Keep quiet, Reg" Sirius whispered sternly to his brother, as if Regulus was the one who needed such a warning. "That old man might be lurking about"

"He was nice to us last time" Regulus reasoned, glancing around him nervously nonetheless.

"Grandfather's probably told him not to let us in" There was an obvious tinge of bitterness to Sirius's voice. "And he'll probably blab if he catches us here again"

As they neared the entrance of the kennels and the barking became louder still, Regulus felt certain that the dogs inside sounded far less friendly than they had on their last visit. He wondered if the crups that hadn't been chosen to go on the hunt were feeling frustrated at being left behind.

He pushed the thought from his head dismissively.

Of course not. They were only crups. Animals couldn't think in such a human-like manner - could they?

Sirius boldly yanked open the gate of the wire fence, strolling through as though he had every right to be there. But instead of walking through to the main block, he turned to walk around the side of the building.

Regulus groaned. Sirius was clearly wanting to visit the cruppies again. He briefly considered voicing his concerns against this endeavour, but decided against it.

Sirius would only ignore him and probably be in a foul mood with him for the rest of the day.

Regulus did, however, feel a glimmer of hope as they approached the lone, shed-like kennel which housed the mother crup and her litter.

Sirius had opened the lock on the door with his juvenile magic the first time round - surely he wouldn't manage it a second time?

"I did it before, so I can do it again" said Sirius through gritted teeth as he clutched the metal padlock tight between his hands.

He screwed up his face in concentration, gathering together every ounce of magic he could feel inside him and focusing as hard as he possibly could on the task at hand.

At the last moment, just as he was about to give in to the sharp pounding in his head and let go of the padlock, there was a subtle clicking sound.

Sirius opened his eyes to see the padlock open. He grinned triumphantly.

"How do you _do_ that?" Regulus asked, awe-struck at the control his brother had over his magic.

"Practice" said Sirius airily, tossing his hair smugly. He gave away not a trace of the panic that had gripped him just seconds ago when he considered that perhaps the trick might not work a second time.

With a quick glance around him to check the coast was clear, Sirius removed the padlock, tossing it onto the grass beside him, and opened the door to the shed.

In the dim light of the kennel, Sirius could just make out a pair of black eyes glinting dangerously in the light. The mother crup was sat up in her nest, her body tense, her ivory teeth snarling. Clustered around her in a dozing pile were her pups, oblivious to the intruder.

"Hey, girl, it's okay" Sirius spoke softly to the crup. "It's me, remember? I was here yesterday"

He took a slow step through the doorway.

Before his foot could crunch the straw bedding beneath it, the mother crup had leaped to her feet, awakening her brood in the process, and let out a string of sharp, warning barks.

"Sirius, don't!" Regulus cried as Sirius jumped backwards out of the hut, startled by the barks.

"It's okay, Reg, she won't hurt me" Sirius forced himself to sound far more calm than he felt. "I came prepared"

He reached deep into his trouser pockets and pulled out several chunks of duck, leftovers from last night's dinner. Tiny bits of fluff from the material of his clothes clung to the meat.

Regulus's mouth fell open in shock.

"When did you get that?!"

"Sneaked down to the kitchen last night for it, through the old servants' passage" said Sirius. "You were dead asleep"

"Oh..." Regulus was mildly disappointed that his brother hadn't awoken him to share a midnight feast of his stolen scraps.

Sirius wiped his hands of the grease coating the meat on his trousers.

"Mama is going to be so cross with you" said Regulus, wrinkling his nose at the grease marks on the fabric.

Sirius shrugged.

"It'll be fine" he said, dismissively, turning back to the shed doorway.

Sirius took another slow step through the doorway, this time with his arm outstretched to clearly show the chunks of meat in his hand to the dog.

"Look what I have!" he whispered to the mother crap. "See? It's food. Do you want some?"

The instant change in the crup's behaviour was a sight to behold. On sight of the pieces of duck, her growling ceased instantly, her tense muscles relaxed and her forked tail began to wag excitedly.

"There you go, see? I said it was okay" Sirius smiled happily as the crup leaned forward to snatch the meat from his palm.

At the sight of their mother snapping up the tasty treats, the six cruppies suddenly sprung into action, bounding forward out of their nest, clamouring over one another to get to Sirius in a bid to be the first to get at the meat. Their loud, incessant yapping filled the shed.

Regulus peered through the doorway to see his brother crouched on the straw-covered floor, surrounded by tiny, wriggling cruppies, their little paws scrambling at him, their tiny tails lashing excitedly.

"See, Reg?" Sirius called to his brother through fits of laughter as the dogs' tongues licked at his hands for any trace of the duck pieces, all of which were long-since eaten. "Didn't I say it would be fine?"

Regulus had to admit, Sirius did seem to have been proven triumphant. The cruppies and their mother were lapping up every ounce of affection his brother could offer them with not a hint of maliciousness to be seen.

But he still didn't quite fancy joining in. He glanced worriedly at the scuff marks beginning to cover Sirius's white shirt. Mama was going to be so cross when she saw the state of him...

Regulus huffed a sigh as he stared down at the grass before him. He was bored of waiting for Sirius to grow tired of messing about with the dogs. After half an hour of standing outside the shed, his feet had begun to ache he had bravely back to the main kennel block to retrieve an old wooden stool he had seen by the doorway, dragging it back round to the cruppies' shed.

And here he had sat ever since, slouched forward, elbows resting on his knees, his face in his hands. A most undignified posture which he would have never assumed in the presence of his parents for fear of correction, but he was just so bored. He didn't have a watch, but he was sure it must have been almost two hours that they had been here, now.

Sirius was stood in the outside run of the cruppies' shed, one of the pups at his feet. The mother crup and most of the litter had soon grown tired of Sirius's presence once they had realised the supply of treats had run dry. They had curled back up in their nest, content to snooze the warm afternoon away.

But one pup, however, seemed to have taken a particular liking to the young wizard. The little creature peered up at him attentively, his tongue lolling out in a panting smile, his entire small body seeming to wag along with his tail.

And what a peculiar tail it was. Unlike the rest of his siblings, this pup did not have two identically white tips at the end of his forked tail, but rather one black and one white. It seemed rather odd, at first. Sirius couldn't remember ever having seen a crup with this feature before.

"_I_ think it makes you look very distinguished" Sirius told the pup fondly as he attempted to give the little dog a scratch behind the ears, his attempt failing when the crup madly began to lick and nip his fingers.

However, in spite of how adorable the pup was and how flattered Sirius was to have been taken a shine to, that didn't excuse the fact that the poor creature seemed to be lacking in brainpower.

"Come on, we've been over it a hundred times. Sit!"

The crup reared up on two legs with an excited yap and a lash of his tail, giving no indication that he had understood Sirius's command at all.

Sirius let out a growl of frustration.

He had repeated the command enough times, had pushed his haunches down into the required position, why did the silly creature still not understand what he wanted?

"I think it's because you ran out of treats" Regulus called hardheartedly from around the shed.

Sirius glared in frustration.

"Well, I'm all out" he snapped back. "So he'll have to make do without"

Regulus rolled his eyes. Sirius may be impatient and short-tempered, but he was nothing if not determined. And once the bit was well and truly between his teeth, he would not give up until he had fulfilled his task.

"Sit!"

The little crup beamed up at him, tongue lolling, tail thrashing excitedly, but he did not sit.

"Come on, why don't you get it?" Sirius sighed, exasperated. "Why won't you just do as you're told?"

He kicked a nearby stone in frustration and watched as it roll through the gaps in the wire fence. Suddenly, an idea lit up inside his head.

He quickly reached down and stanched up a few of the small stones littering the edge of the fence and shoved them into his pockets.

"Hey" he called to the crup, turning to face it once more with a sneaky grin on his face.

The little dog's ears perked up in interest.

"See what I've got?"

Sirius jingled his hand in his pocket, rattling the stones enough to demonstrate that there was something potentially tasty hidden inside.

The pup went wild, spinning in circles and letting out a stream of excited yaps.

"Not just yet" said Sirius with a grin as the crup reared up on two legs and pawed at his trousers. "You have to earn it first. Now, sit!"

To his amazement the crup obeyed immediately. He sat, staring up at Sirius with almost hypnotic-like attention, eagerly anticipating his reward.

"Yes!" Sirius whooped in triumph.

The crup leaped up again, pawing desperately at the stones in his pocket.

"No, sit" Sirius repeated the command firmly. The crup quickly retreated, returning to his sitting position, never once taking his eyes off of Sirius's pocket.

Sirius whooped in triumph, basking in the glory of his success. He had done it, he had trained a crup!

"Hey, Reg! Come look! I did it!"

Sirius attempted to make a bolt for the door of the shed to fetch his brother but was pulled back by set of sharp teeth grabbing at his leg.

"Ow!" he gasped. The little pup was clinging onto his trouser leg, having nipped his skin in the process, growling with frustration at his lack of reward.

"Look, I don't have any treats, alright?" said Sirius, trying to shake off the dog to no avail. "I told a fib, okay? I'm sorry"

The crup clearly did not accept his apology. He had been promised a treat and was not prepared to take no for an answer. Sirius tried again to shake off the crup which continued to cling to him, letting out a few yips in between his ever-louder growling.

The commotion had woken the mother crup, who trotted out of the shed to investigate, the rest of her brood surrounding her.

Upon seeing one of her pups clinging to the leg of the small wizard trying to shake him off, the mother crouched low, snarling threateningly at Sirius.

"Oh no..."

Sirius was becoming nervous now. As sharp as the bite of the young crup had been, he was certain he would not get off so lightly with a bite from its mother. Her beady eyes fixed on him dangerously.

She wanted him out. Sirius did not need to be told twice.

Giving his leg one last shake and, mercifully, finally detaching the crup from his trouser leg. The pup landed with a soft thud on the grass, none the worse for his ordeal.

Sirius made a desperate dash for safety, bolting back through the shed for the door, the family of crups giving chase to him as he retreated from their home.

He bolted through the shed door and attempted to slam it shut, but it was too late. Before he could stop them, the family of dogs had burst through the doorway after him.

Regulus jumped off of his stool with a shriek as the dogs milled around them, yapping noisily.

"Sirius!" he cried as he jumped on top of the stool in an attempt to keep the dogs away from his feet. "What did you do?!"

"Nothing!" Sirius desperately tried to usher the dogs back inside the shed but to no avail. The crups clearly had no intention of giving up their newfound freedom.

The crups quickly realised that pestering the young wizard for treats was a wasted effort. Before Sirius could attempt to stop them (not that he could have had a hope of grabbing more than one of the wriggling pups at a time), the mother crup ran off, heading in the direction of the main kennel block, her litter following close behind.

"Oh, Sirius, no!" Regulus exclaimed in panic. "We've lost them!"

"We need to get them back!"

Sirius tore off in hot pursuit of the dogs in desperate hope of catching some of them, any of them, but to no avail. Though small in stature, the athletic little crups were faster than him by far. He could only watch in horror as the crups tore off through the compound, out through the gate which the boys had foolishly left open and went sprinting off into the meadow.

"Oh, damn!"

His energy completely drained, Sirius came to a halt, panting heavily as he watched the crups run about the meadow. He didn't have a hope of catching them all. Panic began to rise inside him. What on earth was he going to do now?

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound pierced the air, making Sirius jump and whirl around to investigate.

Running across the meadow towards him with surprising agility was the kennel manager, brandishing his wand which omitted a long streak of glowing silver light with each wave.

Sirius watch, dumbfounded, as the old man expertly aimed his wand at each of the loose crups running about the meadow, lassoing each one with a separate ray of the rope-like light. In little more than a minute, he had expertly captured the mother crup and each of the cruppies, his wand hauling them by their magical leads across the meadow and back towards him.

With each of the dogs captured, the wizard marched back across the meadow towards Sirius.

"What on earth happened here?!"

The old man's voice was far sharper than it had been yesterday when he'd joked with Sirius, amused by his uppity behaviour.

All notion of grandeur above the halfblood employee instantly drained from Sirius's mind, his vision of himself reduced to precisely what he was - a child caught in a whole heap of trouble.

"I- I was- We were just-"

Before Sirius could attempt to feebly explain himself, there was another shout from behind him. A voice which made Sirius flinch.

"Stokes! What the devil has happened here, man?!"

Sirius turned to look behind him, his worst suspicions confirmed as he saw the approaching hunting party, led by his furious-looking grandfather.

"I'm sorry, sir, the litter somehow managed to get loose" the kennel manager's voice was calmer as he addressed his employer. "The gate must have been left open, perhaps, or the lock faulty"

Sirius felt a deep shame burning inside him as the old man attempted to cover up his crimes. He had done precisely nothing to deserve such mercy - so why was it being offered?

"You fool!" Arcturus growled as he reached them. "You mean to tell me these valuable animals were nearly lost to the wild because _you_ left a blasted gate open?"

Sirius wanted nothing more than to stare down at the ground in an attempt to hide from his grandfather's unjust onslaught, but try as he might, he could not break his gaze away from his father marching across the meadow towards them, flanked by Grandpapa Pollux and his bemused-looking uncles. Even from afar, Sirius could make out the ominous look on his father's face. Orion seemed to have already decided that whatever was going on, his son had clearly played at least some part in it.

"Sirius" said Orion, sharply as he stood over his son, shrouding the boy in his shadow. "What happened?"

All attention fixed on the young boy, who in that moment, appearing far more cowed than many had ever thought possible of him.

"It was me" said Sirius, looking up at his grandfather's furious face. "I let the crups loose"

"You did what?!" Arcturus snapped, glaring down at his grandson.

"I didn't mean to!" the boy hastened to add. "Honest, Papa, I didn't!"

"And just what _were_ you doing?"

Orion's icy gaze sent a shiver down his son's spine.

"I was... trying to train one of the cruppies"

Sirius's voice trailed off as he looked down at his feet, unable to bear his father's angry expression any longer.

"You foolish, idiot boy!" Arcturus rounded on Sirius, his face reddening with anger. "I specifically forbade you from going near those crups for a reason! Do you have even the _slightest_ idea how much these dogs are worth? How much gold you could have lost me if they'd gotten away?"

Sensing he was intruding on a family matter, the kennel manager discreetly cleared his throat.

"I'll take the crups back to the kennels, sir" he said to Arcturus, jerking his head back towards the kennel block.

Arcturus did not see bother to reply, too focused on his errant grandson, and so the halfblood slipped away from the crowd, dragging the still-overexcited pack of crups at the end of his wand along with him.

Sirius felt a tinge of regret that he had not had chance to thank the man for attempting to cover for him.

"Really, now, Arcturus, there's no need to get quite so het-up" Pollux strode over to stand beside his cousin as he continued to spit venomous comments about the blatant disobedience of his grandson.

In any other moment, Sirius would have smirked at the sight of his Grandpapa in his too-tight hunting clothes, but right now, he felt as if he couldn't smile for the life of him.

"_No need to get het-up?_" Arcturus spat angrily, nostrils flaring. "This insolent little whelp nearly lost me an entire litter of crups and you tell me there's _no need_ to reprimand him?"

"There is _every need_ to reprimand him" Orion's steely voice cut in. "Papa, perhaps you would care to escort everyone back to the house whilst I deal with my son?"

Arcturus gave a grunt but did not disagree with the plan laid out by his son.

"So long as you _do_ deal with him, _this_ time" he said with a sneer as he turned away, marching back through the grass.

Pollux turned to follow his cousin, glancing down at Sirius with a sigh and a shake of his head before he left.

Sirius looked up to catch a glance of his uncles, both of whom had elected to stay out of the row. Both Cygnus and Alphard sported a large cluster of dead jarveys strung together by the feet and slung over their shoulders, the spoils of the hunt. Judging by the bemused smiles on each of their faces, both brothers seemed to have found a degree of entertainment from the scene their nephew had caused.

Sirius burned with embarrassment at having made a show of himself in front of the entire hunting party.

But this was quickly replaced by a fresh wave of dread that washed over him like ice water as he looked back up at his father.

"Where is your brother?"

The question was so unexpected that Sirius simply stood with his mouth hung open, stuck for words.

"_Answer me_"

His father's sharp words jolted him back to his senses.

"I don't know..." Sirius glanced around the meadow. He hadn't realised that Regulus was missing until now. "Maybe still back at the kennel block? Hiding, probably" There was a distinct trace of bitterness in his voice as he spoke.

Trust meek, scaredy-cat Regulus to hide himself away whilst Sirius got into trouble on behalf of them both.

"Kreacher!"

Sirius flinched at his father's loud, sharp call.

With a CRACK that rang through the meadow, the shrunken form of the house elf appeared before them, scowling with confusion as to why he had been summoned to the middle of a field, of all places.

"Go to the crup kennels" Orion ordered, gesturing to the building in the near distance. "You should find Master Regulus there. Bring him to the house and make sure he is _clean_ before his mother sees him"

"At once, Master" said Kreacher with a humble bow before disappearing off to the kennels with another CRACK.

Orion rounded on Sirius once more.

"You were specifically told last night _not_ to go near those crups again, were you not?"

Sirius gulped uneasily before nodding.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Papa"

"And yet you deliberately disobeyed both your grandfather and me, and did it anyway"

There was simply no other way to wriggle out of the truth of the matter. Sirius hung his head, digging the toe of his shoe into the dirt.

"Have you _nothing_ to say for yourself?"

Sirius looked up again. The look of deep, angry disappointment on his father's face awakened a sense of determination within him.

"I'm sorry the crups got loose, Papa, really I am. But I knew I could train one, I had to try. And I did it! Really, I did! I got it to-"

"Silence!"

Sirius obeyed immediately.

"This insolent behaviour will cease this instant" Orion hissed threateningly. "You will accompany me back to the house, where you will apologise properly to your grandfather for your misbehaviour. You will then go to your room and you will stay there until I say otherwise"

"But-"

Sirius's words faltered for a moment as his father's anger flared visibly at his audacity to talk back.

"But- Mama will expect me down for tea soon" he finished, meekly.

"You needn't concern yourself with that" said Orion. "Once I have relayed your day's misdemeanours to your mother, I'm quite sure she will agree that you ought to remain in your room for the rest of the day"

Sirius's stomach churned sickeningly at the thought of how cross his mother would be once she'd heard of his crimes. He suddenly found himself with no appetite for tea and cake.

But still, as unpleasant as his mama's tempestuous shouting fits could be, the dangerously calm anger of his father somehow felt far worse.

"Is that _understood?_" Orion asked, expectantly.

"Yes, Papa" Sirius answered, staring glumly down at the grass.

"Good. Now, hold still"

Sirius flinched as his father grasped his arm, steering him to turn from side to side as he inspected his clothes.

"I do believe-" Orion said, silkily, as he examined his son. "-that your mother also told you to ensure you kept yourself _clean_"

Sirius remained in a state of defeated silence as his father shook his head over the state of his white shirt, now covered in dirty paw marks and the grease stains on his trousers.

With his arm still firmly gripped around his son's arm, Orion aimed his wand at Sirius.

"_Scourgify_"

Sirius winced at the unpleasant feeling of the cleaning spell. He hated them - they never failed to leave him covered in goosebumps.

"Presentable at last" Orion remarked, wryly. "Now, come"

He released Sirius's arm, only to seize the boy again, this time by the scruff of his shirt, steering him back towards the house on the other side of the meadow.

Sirius allowed himself to be half-dragged across the grass by his father in miserable silence, the glory of his moment of success at having trained the cruppie to sit all but a distant memory.

He had been so proud of himself at having achieved his goal. And then it had all come crashing down, his triumph in ruins.

And now, here he was, ending this year's jarvey hunt in precisely the same way he had last year - being hauled back to Noire House by his father in disgrace.

He felt utterly wretched.


	5. Chapter 5

Sirius sighed and pressed his chin deeper into his palm as he carelessly rolled another gobstone across the desk. He watched, absent-mindedly, as the little glass ball rolled away, knocked into the last ball he had rolled and was sent tumbling over the edge of the desk, rolling away across the wooden floor.

Across the room, Regulus sat cross-legged on his bed, a book open in his lap which he made little effort to pretend to read. Each time he tried to focus on the words on the page, the sound of the gobstones clattering to the floor, or of Sirius's restless foot-tapping against the floorboards distracted him from his attempts to absorb anything he read. He sighed and set his book aside. It was hopeless.

Both boys had been banished to their shared bedroom in disgrace by their furious mother for the afternoon's chaotic events and forbidden to leave for the rest of the day, with no supper for good measure.

Sirius had put up a surprising lack of resistance to their punishment. Regulus had expected his brother to put up one of his trademark loud scenes of protest and had braced himself for one of their mother's trademark furious shouting fits in response. But neither had come to pass. Sirius had merely glared a surly look down at the ground and shuffled upstairs to their bedroom as ordered, Regulus trailing along behind him.

Regulus didn't know what their father had said to Sirius before they'd arrived back at the house, but his elder brother had looked uncharacteristically cowed as the pair entered the parlour where Regulus had been in the process of being thoroughly inspected by their mother for signs of dirt or damage to his clothes, both of which he was mercifully devoid of, thanks to his father's thoughtful order for Kreacher to clean him up before taking him to her.

Glancing up at Sirius, Regulus observed that his brother was looking much cleaner than he had before. No doubt he too had been given the once over with a cleaning charm. And a good thing, too. Mother would be angry enough once she was told of their misdemeanors with the crups, without adding their dishevelled state of dress to the mix.

Hours later, as the pale evening sunshine flooded through their bedroom window, the two boys sat in tense silence, each having withdrawn to their own means of attempting to make the hours standing between them and their release the following morning pass as quickly as possible.

Regulus glanced across the room to where Sirius sat at the desk, slouched over with his back to him, in a full-blown sulk.

The younger boy always hated it when his elder brother was in a sulk, but it was ten times worse when he was in a sulk with _him_. He'd known Sirius would be angry with him for not helping him chase after the runaway crups, but he just couldn't help it. Regulus didn't want to admit it, for fear of being teased, but the crups rather scared him, with their snapping teeth and sharp little claws that scraped against his clothes, threatening to mark or rip the material. He had no idea what it was about the vicious little creatures that so appealed to Sirius.

And so, when the family of dogs had come charging towards him, he'd hidden from them - cowered behind the flung-open door of the shed and stayed crouched there, hidden away in that exact same spot until Kreacher had found him there, what felt like hours later.

The price Regulus had paid for his safety was his brother's good mood.

Sirius could be particularly unpleasant to be around when he was in a sulk about something.

"Sirius?" Regulus called, hesitantly as his brother rolled another gobstone across the desk, sending it hurtling down onto the floor.

His brother did not reply.

"Sirius-"

"What?"

Regulus flinched at Sirius's snappy tone as the elder boy twisted round in his chair, his sharp, grey eyes glaring daggers at him.

He bit his lip nervously.

"I was… just going to say, if you want to play gobstones, I'll play with you?"

"I don't want to play gobstones," Sirius muttered, turning back around and slouched over the desk again.

The sound of yet another of the little glass balls being flicked across the desk and sliding onto the floor filled the tense silence between them.

"Or… exploding snap, perhaps?" Regulus tried again, shyly.

"No, Reg" Sirius grumbled back.

"Or we could-"

"Will you just give it a _rest?_"

Regulus swallowed hard, trying not to let his brother's irritation get to him.

"I was only wondering if you wanted to do something to pass the time" he mumbled, staring down at the bedclothes.

"Well I don't" Sirius grumbled, slouching over the desk and laying his head down in his arms.

He glared through the window at the meadow below, the long grass bathed in the golden glow of the warm, evening sun. The paradise from which they had been banished for the rest of the day. "So don't bother asking"

A moment of deafeningly loud silence passed between the two boys. Regulus couldn't help it. He had to try one more time.

"Sirius-"

"_What?!_"

The look the elder boy shot at Regulus from the desk was sharp and cold.

Sirius's persistent rudeness at last grated at Regulus, stirring within him the courage to finally speak up properly.

"Why are you angry with me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Sirius glared at his little brother.

"What sort of a stupid question is _that?_" the elder boy snapped harshly. "You didn't even _try_ to help me catch those crups! You just hid, like a pathetic little scaredy-cat, and left me to it!"

"I'm sorry, Sirius" Regulus mumbled, looking down at the bed, miserably. He fiddled with a loose piece of gold thread on the embroidery on the covers. "I- I couldn't help it. They scared me"

"They _scared_ you?" Sirius laughed unkindly. He spun round in his chair and faced his brother head on. "Don't be so_ wet_, Reg, they're only little dogs! They wouldn't hurt you, you're a wizard, not a muggle. And if you'd had just a _crumb_ of bravery and helped me, we might have stood a chance at catching them before Papa and the others found us. And then, perhaps we might not _be_ in this mess at all"

Regulus felt a familiar stinging sensation in his eyes, the same feeling that always seemed to materialise when his brother was angry with him.

"I couldn't help it," he murmured, quickly wiping his sleeve over his eyes to clear away the tears brimming within them. "I do try, really, but I just… can't seem to be as brave as you. I'm sorry"

He let out a choked sniff, one which he had tried and failed to hold back.

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. It was just like his soft little brother to turn on the waterworks at the slightest critique. Merlin only knew how many times Regulus had been reduced to tears. They could be brought on by anything - from being given a bad mark by their tutor on a subject he struggled with to one of their grandfather's many scathing remarks, much to the old man's annoyance.

But whereas Regulus's tears would only frustrate and annoy Arcturus further, Sirius could never bring himself to remain angry with his little brother when he was in such a state. Try as he might, sometimes.

"Look, just- Forget it, alright?" Sirius waved a hand in the air dismissively. "It's done now. It doesn't matter anymore"

He turned his back to Regulus once more, slumping back across the desk with a deep sigh.

As if the tense silence between him and his brother was not irritating enough, Sirius groaned as the rich smells of the adults' dinner began to waft through from the dining room downstairs, making his stomach growl hungrily, as it did each night. But, whereas usually his hunger would at least be satiated by whatever comparatively-dull fare their mother had seen fit to order to be brought up to them, tonight there would be no such relief.

Sirius sank his head deeper into his arms, burying his nose in his sleeve in an attempt to block out the rich aroma of roast beef in mushroom sauce that invaded his nostrils and cruelly teased his empty stomach. In that moment, he would happily take even horrid, plain, boiled mutton over the prospect of nothing at all to eat until breakfast.

Perhaps, if he closed his eyes and attempted to will himself to sleep to block out the scent-

"I'm hungry"

Regulus's small voice was heavy with misery.

Sirius glanced over his shoulder to see his brother slumped forward - a rare sight. Regulus was rarely one to allow himself to fall into a state of poor posture. The younger boy's eyes stared miserably down at the bed, one arm draped over his middle as if in an attempt to comfort his protesting stomach. He looked absolutely pathetic.

Sirius sighed. He never could bring himself to turn a blind eye when Regulus was in such a state.

"We'll give it another hour or so," he said. "By then they should all have moved to the drawing room. It'll be safe then"

Regulus lifted his head and stared questioningly up at Sirius.

"What for?" he asked, cocking his head to one side curiously, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the cruppies he so disliked.

"What do you _think?" _Sirius rolled his eyes. To sneak down to the kitchens to swipe some food, of course"

Regulus's eyes widened in alarm at the thought.

"We can't do that, Sirius!" he said in a hushed tone, glancing anxiously at the bedroom door as if their mother might be listening in right this minute.

Which, in all likelihood, was not an outlandish possibility. Walburga Black was not a woman who believed in privacy when it came to her children.

"Of course we can," said Sirius. "We'll take the servants' passageway, no one ever goes down there"

"Except the house elves"

"Nah, not at that time of night" Sirius shrugged dismissively. "They'll all be too busy down in the kitchens, cleaning up after the dinner. And besides, they won't mind. They like us. And we can always just order them to say they never saw us if anyone asks them"

He didn't say as much, but Regulus found the idea of the house elves lying to their parents, or worse, their grandfather, on the orders of two young boys highly doubtful. The elves were indeed fond of them, but fondness would only go so far in the face of sworn loyalty to their masters.

"I still don't know…"

"Oh come _on_, Reg! It'll be easy! The adults will be in the drawing room until late, and we'll only be gone for a few minutes. They'll never know a thing about it!" Sirius arched an eyebrow questioningly at his brother. "Or aren't you hungry after all?"

Regulus grimaced as his stomach gave another loud growl, as though it were answering Sirius's question for itself. His brother was right - he _was_ hungry, and the thought of having to wait until breakfast for their next meal was not a pleasant one in the slightest.

And besides, he reasoned with himself, Sirius was already in a huff with him for today. He didn't relish the prospect of worsening his brother's mood with _another _failure to show so much as an ounce of bravery.

"Alright," he said, reluctantly. "We'll do it"

The change in Sirius was instant. His brother's scrutinising frown immediately widened into a Cheshire cat grin, his grey eyes bright and twinkling with excited anticipation.

"Brilliant!" said Sirius gleefully, jumping to his feet and bounding across the room to throw himself down on his brother's bed. "We'll have a feast tonight, Reg, you'll see"

Regulus had to admit, the prospect of a late-night bedroom picnic was a rather exciting one, even if the thought of journeying down to the kitchens to get it still filled his empty stomach with nervous butterflies.

"Now, since we've got time to kill…"

Sirius leaned over to the bedside table and pulled out a deck of cards from the drawer. He held them out to his brother with a grin.

"Exploding snap?"

Regulus couldn't help but smile back as he nodded.

He breathed an inner sigh of relief as Sirius began to spread out the cards, relieved that his elder brother was in a good mood once more.

Many games of cards later, long after the rich scents of dinner had drifted away, Sirius glanced across the room out of the window, where the sun was finally beginning to set over the horizon.

"It must have been long enough by now…" he said, gathering up his cards.

Regulus felt his already-aching stomach give a painful jolt as he watched Sirius leap up and run to grab their dressing gowns, hanging on their hooks on the back of the door.

The time had come at last. Oh no.

"Come on, Reg" said Sirius as he shrugged on his dressing gown. "Let's go!"

He tossed his brother's gown over to him.

"Are you really sure about this, Sirius?" Regulus asked hesitantly as he fumbled with the tie of his gown. "Suppose we get caught? We'll be in such awful trouble…"

"We _won't_, Reg" Sirius said firmly with a roll of his eyes. "Just trust me, alright? I told you, no one ever goes down the servants' passageway at this time. I've done it before"

Regulus stared, open-mouthed.

"When?!"

"Last night, of course. I told you, I went to get the leftover duck for the crups, remember? How did you think I got down there?"

In truth, Regulus had been far too busy wishing his brother would leave the snappy little beasts alone to consider the details of exactly how he had managed to procure the bits of meat in the first place. But it seemed he was about to discover them now - in far greater detail than he desired.

"Right, let's go"

Sirius attempted to ease the bedroom door open, but to his dismay, he found that the handle would not budge.

"Oh drat, it's locked" he huffed frustratedly.

"Oh no…" Regulus couldn't decide whether to be disappointed or relieved. It seemed he would be spared the dangerous escapade after all. But on the other hand, he was still hungry…

"I can unlock it," said Sirius firmly, narrowing his eyes at the brass handle as though he were about to challenge it to a duel.

"Can you really do that trick again?" Regulus recalled how Sirius had unlocked the cruppies' shed earlier that afternoon. His brother's command of his immature magic truly was impressive, even if his success meant that he wouldn't be escaping the dreaded journey downstairs - assuming Sirius could indeed pull it off again.

"Of course I can," Sirius replied, his tone indignant at his brother's lack of faith in his abilities. Privately, however, his heart pounded hard at the thought of failing in his endeavor. He couldn't fail. He'd done it before, hadn't he? Why shouldn't he be able to do it again now?

Sirius grasped the door handle tight in his hand, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath as he focused hard on summoning his wild, untamed magic. His powers resisted his command, buzzing about chaotically, childishly refusing to obey. But Sirius persisted, focusing harder still.

A sudden, sharp pain shot through his head, right behind his eyes. Sirius gasped and let go of the handle, his concentration broken. He felt his magic slip out of his feeble grip, disappearing into obscurity within him, like pebbles disappearing out of sight into deep water.

"Are you alright, Sirius?"

Regulus's wide eyes were full of concern. It irritated Sirius.

"I'm _fine_," he said, blinking hard as the pain subsided. "I can do it. Just- Don't _look_ so hard, it puts me off"

"Um, okay. Sorry"

Regulus took a small step backwards and stared down at the floor. He was not quite sure how to _not look so hard_ at someone, and so settled for simply not looking at all.

Sirius took another deep, determined breath and gripped the door handle again. Once more, he focused all of his energy towards summoning his magic, willing it to do as he bade. He felt the power within him rising up like an ocean wave, the dull, throbbing pain beginning to build behind his eyes once more. And just at the very moment in which he felt as though the magic might overpower him, there was a subtle clicking sound. Sirius opened his eyes and grinned triumphantly as the door handle submitted to his attempt to open it.

"There - you see?" he said proudly to his awestruck little brother. "Told you I could do it. Now, come on, let's go. We'll want to get to the kitchens before the elves decide to throw away any of the good stuff"

As Sirius carefully eased the bedroom door open, Regulus took a deep, encouraging breath and followed his brother out into the corridor.

The two boys tiptoed slowly along the thickly-carpeted corridor, Sirius leading the way, Regulus anxiously glancing behind him every few moments as though their mother might suddenly appear at any moment. He scarcely noticed they had reached the door to the servants' passageway until he bumped into Sirius's back, still staring behind him.

"Watch it, Reg!" Sirius whispered sharply with a glare.

"Sorry!" Regulus squeaked back.

"She's not going to find us" said Sirius, reading his brother's anxious face like a book. "She'll be downstairs in the drawing room with the others, like I said. Now, come on-"

Sirius eased open the shabby-looking door, wincing when the hinges creaked as it opened. He quickly shoved his hesitant brother into the dark corridor and closed them in.

"Why is it so… dreary?" Regulus asked nervously as they journeyed down the dimly-lit hallway. The floor was a plain, hard stone, the walls lacking in the rich wallpaper he was used to being surrounded by within the grand halls of Noire House. He shivered slightly at the cool draft in the air.

"Because the Muggles who used to own the house years ago didn't see any point in making the servants' areas as nice as their own" Sirius explained, his voice echoing along with their footsteps in the stone passage. "Makes sense, I suppose. I doubt the house elves care much, anyway"

The corridor's dark, drab corridor had a definite air of misery about it. Regulus privately thought to himself that _he _would certainly mind having to inhabit such creepy corridors every day, if he were a house elf.

As nervous as he felt, and as unpleasant as the servants' passageway was, Regulus couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of excitement sparking inside him at the thought of exploring parts of his grandfather's house that he had never seen before. What interesting discoveries one could make, if only for a bit of courage.

At the far end of the corridor, there sat a narrow, winding staircase with a rusting iron bannister winding downwards through the floors of the house. The faint sound of clattering pots echoed up towards them. Regulus realised that this must be the way down to the kitchens.

The two boys tiptoed down slowly, passing an identically plain passageway on the landing of each floor of the house, stepping lightly so that their footsteps would not echo through the floors. As the bottom of the stairs finally approached, the wondrous smells of cooked food saturated the air around them.

"Mmm!" Regulus couldn't help but sigh longingly as they reached the bottom of the stairs, arriving in the back corner of the basement kitchen.

The kitchens were warm - almost uncomfortably warm in the stifling heat of the still-hot ovens. The air was damp and heavy with steam, almost fog-like in its thickness. A large team of house elves hurried about carrying pots and pans, tall stacks of plates and platters of leftover food balanced in their spindly arms, freshly brought down from the dining room above.

They hadn't yet seemed to have noticed the two young wizards lurking in the corner by the stairs.

Regulus gasped as a sudden thought struck him at the sight of the elves.

"Sirius, what about Kreacher?" Regulus looked up at his brother, wide-eyed with worry. Their own family house elf always joined the throng of house elves at Noire House in their daily tasks during their holidays - suppose he should spot them down here and run to tell their mother?

"Don't worry, he always goes to turn down and warm the beds upstairs around this time" Sirius said dismissively. "Mama insists on him doing it every evening. She thinks _he's _the only elf who can do the job just right"

The elder boy nodded towards the far end of the kitchen.

"Come on, I know just the elf we need"

Regulus's instinct was to creep meekly across the vast kitchen, keeping well out of the way of the busy house elves who's territory they had so rudely invaded. By stark contrast, Sirius stood proud and upright with his head held high and marched across the floor with an air of authority suited to a boy who knew that this house and all within it would be his one day - and perhaps hadn't quite yet grasped the fact that there were still many more years to go before he actually inherited any such authority.

He walked up to a house elf busy loading stacks of clean plates into a cupboard and cleared his throat loudly, in a way which Regulus supposed Sirius intended to make him sound commanding, but which sounded more like he was in dire need of a cough drop.

The house elf's large, floppy ear twitched at the sound and he turned to face the two boys. Regulus recognised him as Swifty, the appointed leader of their grandfather's troupe of house elves and aptly named for his reputation for ensuring swift completion of ordered tasks.

"Master Sirius is back again" the elf squeaked curiously, giving a very slight bow - respectful, but nowhere near as deep as he almost certainly would have had the wizards before him had been adult members of the family. "Is his dinner not enough for him for a second night?"

"It's far worse than that, Swifty," said Sirius. "We didn't get any dinner _at all,_ today"

The elf's orb-like eyes widened.

"Nothing at all?"

The elf's eyes narrowed again in bemused suspicion.

"Swifty wonders what the young master has done to deserve no dinner…"

"Nothing!" Sirius shot back, indignant. He paused. "Well, not much, anyway. Nothing bad enough to deserve to starve until morning, at least. And Reg here certainly didn't"

Regulus suddenly found himself being pulled forwards by his robe sleeve to stand beside Sirius.

"My poor brother here has been grumbling non-stop about how hungry he is. It was too awful to think of him having to starve all night until breakfast" said Sirius with a shake of his head, as though recounting a tragic tale.

Regulus furrowed his brow up at his brother, slightly annoyed. He hadn't complained _that _much, surely. Sirius was clearly attempting to play up their suffering in an effort to earn the sympathy of their grandfather's servants. Surely it wouldn't work. If Arcturus found out-

"The poor young masters, left with nothing until breakfast…" The elf shook his head sadly, his bat-like ears flapping comically. "Swifty will see what he can find…"

The elf padded off towards the storeroom, his bare feet pattering against the stone floor.

"Why is he so willing to help us?" Regulus asked. "Suppose Grandfather finds out he gave us food when Mama said we weren't to have any?"

Sirius shrugged.

"He knows an unjust decision when he sees one, I suppose" he said, vaguely.

Regulus wasn't fooled. The true answer, he knew deep down, was that Sirius could be terribly convincing with his stories and his natural charm, in a way which Regulus had never mastered. He had charmed many a bemused witch or wizard into giving him an extra sweet, with a hair ruffle thrown in for good measure - a lowly house elf was an easy target.

A few minutes later, Swifty returned, carrying a cloth bag which sagged under the weight of the food inside it.

"Thanks, Swifty!" Sirius grinned as he examined the contents of the bag.

Craning his neck to peer inside, Regulus could make out a full loaf of bread with a small pot of butter, a container of leftover cuts of meat and vegetables from the evening's dinner as well as several slices of leftover cake and a small parcel of cheese and crackers. The sight of the food sent his stomach growling anew in excitement at the thought of their feast.

"Master Sirius must be careful not to be caught by the Master" urged the elf as he handed over the bag, his ears folded back anxiously. "Swifty does not wish to have to press his fingers with the hot iron - it slows him down in his work"

Regulus winced at the thought.

"Don't worry, he won't find out," said Sirius with a mischievous smirk. "It'll all be eaten before any of them know a thing about it"

The elf gave both boys a fond smile and another slight bow before turning away to continue with his plate-stacking.

"Come on, let's go" Sirius pulled on Regulus's sleeve, leading him across the vast kitchen. "We'll go another way back up to our room - there's another old servants' corridor, over there," Sirius pointed to the far end of the kitchen. "That one's brilliant fun, you'll see!"

Years of experience had taught Regulus to be hesitant before agreeing on what his brother defined as "brilliant fun", but with the thought of their delicious-smelling picnic dinner in mind, he cheerfully followed his brother towards another winding staircase which led up through the levels of the house.

The two boys climbed the winding staircase, climbing further away from the kitchens below, the air becoming fresher, cooler and less steamy as they went. Regulus glanced back down at the kitchen one last time before it disappeared from view, still half-expecting Kreacher to appear and spot them, ready to go running off to inform their mother of their late-night adventure.

As they reached the top of the staircase, Regulus felt a sense of disappointment at what he saw. This corridor looked hardly any different to the servants' corridor they had journeyed to the kitchen through. The same drab, undecorated walls, the same cold, stone floor, the same eerie, unpleasant feeling.

"What's so special about this corridor, Sirius?" he asked.

"These, of course!"

Sirius dashed a little way along the corridor and crouched down on the stone floor beside a smal, rectangular hole at the bottom of the wall, covered by a brass covering with thin slats across it. Glancing further down the corridor, Regulus could see several similar little holes dotted along the walls.

"What are they?" Regulus asked, confused.

"I'm not too sure…" Sirius admitted. "But come over here and you'll see what I mean"

Sirius gestured for Regulus to join him on the floor.

Regulus crouched down and peered through the little metal slats. He was confused at first, staring into the empty blackness behind the hole. But suddenly, faint, echoing voices began to fill his ears.

"_...significantly lower yield than last year. Most disappointing. I blame the warm winter" _

"_Oh I don't know, I'd say we've still topped the haul of '63's hunt" _

"_Ha! I'd hardly call _that_ a great achievement"_

Regulus gasped as he recognised the voices of his two grandfathers and lurched back from the hole, falling backwards onto the floor.

"What _is_ that thing?!" he asked, alarmed.

"I told you, I don't really know _what_ it is," said Sirius, still grinning excitedly in spite of his brother's obvious fear. "But it seems to be a small tunnel of some sort, behind the wall, and you can hear the voices of people in other rooms through it! Isn't it thrilling?"

To Regulus, the thought of voices travelling through a strange tunnel in a wall rather than through the far more logical means of a Floo seemed far too odd to be thrilling.

Sirius, on the other hand, clearly was not phased by the unusualness of the concept. To Regulus's horror, his brother had taken his place crouched directly in front of the hole and had his ear eagerly pressed to the metal slats.

"Sirius! You shouldn't do that"

"Oh let up, Reg" Sirius snapped."It's fun! Don't you want to hear what they talk about when we're not there?"

"Not really…"

It baffled Regulus as to why his brother was so keen to listen in on their family's conversations. Surely if they talked about anything worthy of their attention, they would say it in front of them?

"Well fine, suit yourself, spoilsport" Sirius snapped, fixing his brother with a dismissive scowl before turning back to the metal cover. "You'll just have to wait until I'm done, then._ I _want to listen"

He turned his attention back to the hole, focusing on trying to make out the echoing voices.

"_...a shame your wife was unable to join us, Pollux" _

Sirius's nose wrinkled as the gruff voice of Arcturus Black filled his ear.

"_Indeed. Such a pity, she came down with a summer chill right before we were due to leave. Irma did wonder about coming along regardless but I warned against it - Flooing in such a fragile state. It didn't seem wise" _

"_Perhaps you and Mama ought to come and stay at Grimmauld Place for a few days, Papa? Once she is recovered" _

Even here, safely hidden out of sight in a different part of the house, Sirius felt a jolt of nerves strike deep in the pit of his stomach at the sound of his mother's voice, which carried through the tunnel as strongly as if she were right around the corner, waiting to catch them…

"_Oh yes, she would so enjoy that - your mother was so disappointed to have missed out on seeing the boys during this trip" _

"_Bah! She's hardly missed much in that respect! With the way those two have behaved, your wife is better off to have spared herself the displeasure of witnessing it" _

Sirius scowled at the blackness through the brass slats. He wanted to stick out his tongue and will the gesture to somehow find its way to his spiteful old grandfather down in the drawing room.

"_Oh come now, Arcturus, the boys didn't mean any real harm" _

Sirius smiled at the sound of his uncle Alphard's voice.

"_It was an accident, after all"_

"Yes, it was" Sirius whispered triumphantly. "So stick _that_, Arcturus"

"Sirius, be quiet!" Regulus whispered back anxiously. "Suppose they can hear you the same way you can hear them?"

"Not from whispering, surely" Sirius shot back - but his confidence faltered, all the same. After all, he didn't know for certain that the adults couldn't hear him. And he was already in enough trouble for one day.

"Please can we go back to the bedroom now?" Regulus asked anxiously.

"Not yet, Reg" Sirius hissed, turning away from his brother and back to the adults' conversation.

"_...an absolute disgrace! It's high time that boy was taught a proper lesson. He's spoiled, Orion, that's what he is. Goes about making trouble because he knows he won't get a decent thrashing for it!"_

"_Sirius is still young, cousin, he'll settle down soon enough" _

"_Indeed. Anyway, he'll be off to school soon enough, _that _ought to straighten him out"_

Even when his voice was a vague echo through a tunnel in a wall, Sirius could still clearly detect the hint of sly satisfaction in his uncle Cygnus's voice.

"_Hmph! I wouldn't be so certain. That insolent whelp thrives on causing mischief. It's a nasty habit, should have been beaten out of him years ago. Why else would he see fit to let loose my crups?" _

"Sirius-"

"Be quiet, Reg!" Sirius whirled around, away from the brass grate and rounded on his brother, his irritation towards the remarks he'd heard about himself quickly being overtaken by annoyance at his brother's pestering. "You've waited this long for food, you can wait five minutes longer"

"It's not that" Regulus's stomach gave a defiant, audible grumble. "I just don't want us to get caught"

Sirius sighed.

"Why do you always have to be such a scaredy-cat? No one is going to catch us - and besides, they're talking about _us_. We've a right to know what they're saying about us. Now, be quiet and let me listen, if you're not going to yourself"

Sirius pressed his ear back to the grate.

"_...seems to have taken rather a shine to the crups, Father"_ Sirius's ears pricked up at the sound of his father's voice, listening keenly to his input. _"He mentioned one in particular, one of the pups. The one with the black and white tail" _

A grin spread across Sirius's face. Papa had remembered what he'd said about his favourite cruppie! Perhaps _he_ could persuade Arcturus…

"_A black and white tail, you say?" _

A loud huff followed, a clear sign that Sirius's grandfather was surely shaking his head in disappointment - the same way he always did when Regulus stuttered the answer to his questions.

"_Well now, that won't do, that won't do at all. A crup's tail must be white-tipped on _both_ sides. Anything less is a disqualifying breed fault. The whelp will have to be dealt with" _

Sirius felt a shiver run down his spine.

"_Dealt with, Father?" _

"Drowned_, of course, boy. Best to get it done with soon, whilst it's still too small to put up much of a struggle" _

Sirius gasped, clapping his hand over his mouth as the noise echoed back on him slightly. His heart pounded heavily with panic, and he wasn't sure whether it was from the threat of having been heard listening or the fate of his favourite cruppie.

Thankfully, the adults seemed too caught by Arcturus's bold statement to listen for the faint giveaway sounds of eavesdroppers.

"_Merlin's beard, cousin, is that really necessary?" _

Pollux's voice sounded disapproving.

"_Of course it is! You think I'll have my bloodline ruined with some mis-marked runt? Certainly not. Besides, it will never be able to show, not with a tail like _that_. And I'm not wasting good gold on feeding it for a year before finding out whether it's a decent hunter or not. No, it's best gotten rid of now. I'll get onto Stokes about it tomorrow. You know, I've a good mind to dismiss that old half-blood - he ought to have informed me of this sooner. But then, I've suspected his sight has been going for a while now. He's been getting sloppy - one suspects he failed to notice the runt at all"_

"_Or he just hasn't much taste for killing pups, perhaps"_

"_Don't you think of getting sentimental over it, Alphard. There's no room for it in pedigree breeding. The whelp a stain on my champion bloodline and I won't have it. It's a good thing you told me, Orion" _

"Sirius? Are you alright?"

Sirius was breathing heavily, his arms trembling as the panic rose within him. Arcturus was going to kill his crup!

He shakily got to his feet.

"Come on, Reg" he said quietly.

"But I thought you wanted-"

"I said come _on_!"

Regulus clambered to his feet and hurried after his brother, clutching the bag of food which contained their picnic dinner.

Judging by the stormy look on his brother's face during their silent journey back to their bedroom, Regulus doubted miserably that their late-night feast would be quite as enjoyable as it might otherwise have been.

"What's wrong, Sirius?" Regulus asked the moment they were safely back inside their room once more. "What did you hear?"

"Grandfather is going to kill my cruppie!"

Regulus's face paled in horror.

"No, surely not! You must have heard wrong"

"No, I didn't!"

Regulus winced at the sharpness of his brother's voice.

"I heard it all - he called it… a- 'a _stain_ on his bloodline'. He said he's going to have the old half-blood drown him - just one of his tail tips is black and not white like the other"

Sirius paced the length of the room restlessly, his face wrought with upset.

"Just imagine! He's going to kill that poor pup just because of a tiny detail like that! Just because he isn't as perfect as the others…"

The thought filled Regulus with sadness.

"How beastly," he murmured.

"We can't let it happen" Sirius's voice was hard with determination. "We have to save the cruppie, first thing tomorrow!"

Regulus's eyes widened.

"W-what?"

"We're going to save the cruppie before old Arcturus gets to him" Sirius clenched his fists hard. "We just have to-"

"We can't do that, Sirius"

There was a moment of silence between the two boys which seemed to last an age before Sirius, his eyes narrowed down at his brother, finally spoke.

"What do you mean, we can't do that?" he demanded. "Of course we can!"

"But we can't" Regulus felt his confidence waning, as it often did when he dared to disagree with his brother on an issue he was so sure on. "Papa and Mama told us we weren't to go near the crups again. We'll be in even worse trouble than we are now"

Sirius let out a noise somewhere between a frustrated huff and a growl.

"Don't you _ever_ think of anything other than the risk of getting into trouble, Reg?" he asked, rounding on his brother. "That poor cruppie is going to _die_ if we don't save it!"

"But it's _stealing_, Sirius" Regulus's voice quivered under the weight of his brother's gaze. "Stealing from_ Grandfather! _He'll be so cross with us..."

The boy's voice tapered off at the thought of their grandfather's fits of anger at their misdeeds.

Sirius let out a dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Merlin, Reg, you have _got_ to stop being so scared of Grandfather! You're not a baby anymore, you need to learn to be brave! It only makes him angrier when he knows you're scared of him. And besides - it is not _stealing_. Grandfather doesn't want the cruppie anyway, so it doesn't count"

Regulus wasn't convinced. He'd often allowed himself to be talked into Sirius's grand schemes and adventures - hadn't they just returned from one? But this went far beyond anything they had done before. This was a crime which would surely see them finally given the "damn good thrashing" that Grandfather so often said they deserved.

"I don't know, Sirius" Regulus's voice was quiet, unsure. "I just- I think it's going too far"

Sirius's grey eyes were alight with anger. Regulus looked down, unable to meet their fiery gaze.

"Fine" Sirius seethed, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles whitened. "I'll save my crup's life by myself, then"

The elder boy turned away and marched over to his bed, throwing himself into it and pulling the covers right over his head.

"But- what about our dinner?" Regulus called tentatively. The bag of food weighed down heavily in his grip.

"I'll wait 'til breakfast" Sirius shot back coldly, the covers doing little to muffle the venom in his voice. "I don't share meals with _cowards_"

Regulus felt wretched. He quickly wiped away the tears of shame stinging in his eyes with his free hand, the bag of food in his other hand suddenly feeling far too heavy. He set it down on the floor and stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do. Part of him wanted to crawl into his own bed and hide under his own covers, where he might safely let his sobs run freely.

But, as his stomach reminded him as he glanced down at the bag of food, he was still hungry. And breakfast was still so far away.

Moving slowly so as to avoid making the slightest noise which might rouse Sirius, Regulus sat himself down on the bedroom floor and fished out the loaf of bread from inside the bag. He tore off a chunk, anxiously glancing up at his brother's bed at the noise, and began to nibble on it, without even troubling to butter it first. It wasn't much - just enough to keep his stomach's grumbling at bay until breakfast. He didn't dare unpack any more of the food, for fear of the noise giving his brother any further reason to snap at him.

His meagre picnic dinner complete, Regulus placed the rest of the bread back inside the bag and slid it under his bed and out of sight before climbing into his own bed and falling into a miserable sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The silence of the library was deafening. Sirius could feel his frustration growing with each minute that passed by with nothing - no sound of interest at all - to relieve the painfully monotonous quiet that filled the vast library which was his cage for the day.

Forbidden to go outside and play in the sunshine on the last day of their holiday as punishment for the previous day's crimes, Walburga had suggested (with a look which assured them that this was far from a suggestion at all) that her sons occupy themselves in Noire House's vast library for the afternoon.

"You might spend your time looking at some of the volumes on magical history" she'd said to the miserable-looking pair over the breakfast table that morning. "And give yourselves a headstart for when you begin studying the medieval period with your tutor when we get home"

Sirius had burned with annoyance at the thought of spending the last day of his summer holiday studying, of all things. He'd allowed himself to be ushered off towards the direction of the library along with Regulus, but instead of heading for the historical section as semi-ordered, he'd flung himself down onto the window seat overlooking the front meadow and had not moved from the spot in over an hour.

The only interruptions to the endless quiet were the monotonous ticking of the tall grandfather clock which stood against the wall beside the fireplace, and the occasional growl-like chirp of Hades, Arcturus's ancient, balding augurey.

The vulture-like bird had always been widely-disliked throughout the Black family, with his ugly, naturally-scowling face and unpleasant tendency to let out a piercing, mournful shriek whenever rainfall approached. He had been given to Arcturus as a hatchling by a visiting Irish wizard, as a token of goodwill to seal a deal, and in his youth had at least been a handsome creature. But now, approaching fifty, the bird's greenish-black feathers had dulled to a shade of grey as depressing as the cloudy sky he cried to, and he had begun to malt horribly, leaving him with untidy bald patches. The pinkish skin around his sharp face had begun to sag into layers of wrinkles, leaving him with a striking resemblance to a grumpy old man.

Which Sirius would privately snicker, reminded him of Arcturus.

Sirius looked away sharply as he caught the eye of the bird from where he sat on his perch beside the oak writing desk across the room. The library was home to just one of the bird's many perches throughout the house. His favourite spot was beside his master's desk in the study upstairs, but with Arcturus holed up in there for the day with Orion, attempting to organise an enormous stack of aging family documents, the door and window had been kept firmly shut to Hades.

After all, the old parchment scrolls were delicate enough without them being filled with moulted feathers. And the fact that Orion couldn't stand the hideous old bird was such a badly-kept secret that even his young son was well aware of why he was lumbered with the augurey's company for the day.

Sirius wished the bird would buzz off out through the window and leave him alone - it was bad enough being confined to the house on the last day of his summer holiday without feeling as if Arcturus himself was peering critically at him through the eyes of his hideous pet.

He turned his back to the bird and curled himself up on the window seat, staring mournfully out at the sun-drenched grass of the meadow below. His gaze wandered automatically into the distance, towards the kennel block, and felt his heart give a painful lurch as he remembered the fate awaiting the cruppie with which he had struck up such a bond. The cruppie which he wanted so desperately to save.

"Sirius?"

Sirius felt a fresh wave of annoyance wash over him at the sound of his younger brother's meek, nervous voice from across the room. Regulus, in his true, obedient nature, had selected a small pile of books from the historical shelves and had surrounded himself with them on the rug before the fireplace at the centre of the library.

"What?" Sirius snapped in reply, still staring out of the window.

"I- I thought you might want to look through some of Grandpapa's old books together? You can choose the theme, if you want. I'll even let you choose the scary ones"

One of the very few inside activities which Sirius enjoyed during visits to Noire House was to go rifling through his grandfather's vast collection of books in search of something of interest. He would set a specific goal; to find the oldest books, the ones containing the most intriguing spells, or the ones which looked as if they might lash out at he who dared attempt to open it.

With his natural aversion to anything that might get them into trouble, this favourite game of Sirius's was normally a hard sell to Regulus. His little brother must be desperate to win back Sirius's favour to suggest it unprompted.

But Sirius was unswayed in his displeasure.

"I don't want to play with you" Sirius mumbled sulkily and curled himself tighter against the window. He pressed his forehead to the glass, warm from the sunshine, and screwed his eyes shut, as if willing the barrier to disappear and set him free.

"Why are you cross with me?"

Sirius craned his neck round at the sound of the surprisingly demanding tone of his brother's voice.

Regulus had risen from his spot on the rug, the brick-like copy of _Medieval Magic: A History of England_ he'd been reading cast aside. He stood, facing his brother with a look of deep hurt on his face. His large, grey eyes shone, and Sirius wondered with irritation whether his brother was about to cry.

It was a habit Regulus was irritatingly prone to - turning on the waterworks at every little upset. And it was not a trick Sirius was in any mood to fall for today.

"Because my crup is going to die and it's all your fault!" Sirius spat angrily, swinging himself round on the window seat to face his brother fully.

Regulus winced visibly at his brother's tone but held firm, much to his brother's surprise.

"It's not my fault that Grandfather doesn't want to keep the cruppie" Regulus argued, quietly.

"No, but it _is_ your fault that he's going to die, because you won't help me rescue him," Sirius shot back, scowling accusingly at the younger boy.

"I'm sorry, Sirius" Regulus mumbled, fidgeting with a loose thread on the cuff of his shirt. "Truly. But we're in enough trouble already. We can't possibly steal a crup as well, everyone would be so cross with us"

"I don't care if they're cross!" Sirius jumped up from the window seat, his fists clenched determinedly. "And neither should you. They're the ones that want to kill my crup, just because his tail is the wrong colour. They're the bad ones, not me!"

Regulus, in spite of his valiant, unusual attempt to stand his ground, was clearly beginning to waver under the force of his brother's anger. Sirius could see that the corner of his bottom lip had disappeared as he anxiously nibbled on it. A tell-tale sign that the boy was beginning to crack.

"Look, Reg," Sirius softened his approach. "You don't _really_ believe that Arcturus is right, do you? That the crup shouldn't get to live?"

"No…" Regulus admitted, reluctantly, his eyes flickering nervously away from Sirius's overbearing gaze. "It _is_ a horrid thought"

Sirius smirked in premature triumph.

"But I don't think we ought to sneak out and try to steal it either"

Sirius's smirk disappeared instantly. His eyes darkened, his grey eyes clouding like an approaching storm.

"Merlin, Reg, why do you always have to be so _wet?_" he groaned, exasperated. He marched to the centre of the room and aimed a frustrated kick at the corner of the plush, navy sofa.

From his perch, Hades let out an angry squawk and flapped his wings threateningly at Sirius. A cloud of little grey feathers billowed around him, fluttering to the ground to add to the pile which had already begun to grow around the base of his perch since the house elves had cleared the previous day's sheddings that morning.

"Oh shut up, you ugly old pigeon" Sirius scowled at the bird.

Hades growled in reply, his bright yellow eyes flashing dangerously.

Of course, everyone knew augureys couldn't talk. But whenever the great bird flashed his icy eyes in such a foreboding manner, there was always a niggling fear that attempted to convince Sirius that the creature would somehow report his misdeeds back to Arcturus.

"I'm _not_ wet" Regulus protested, unconvincingly. His fingernails dug anxiously into his palms as he faced his brother's anger head-on. "I just- don't want us to get into any more trouble"

"That_ is_ wet, Reg" Sirius snapped. He dug the toe of his shoe hard into the corner of the vast, richly embroidered rug before the fireplace.

Regulus winced at the dirt marks pressed into the shining gold thread. He always hated the way his brother took his displeasure out on his surroundings.

"Sirius, please" Regulus's half-hearted argumentative tone fell away, replaced by the pleading, defeated voice Sirius was far more used to expecting from his little brother. "Don't let's fight. It's the last day of our holiday, we ought to at least try to enjoy it"

"Oh, _ought we?_" Sirius mocked his brother's tone, flopping down to lay on the sofa with his arms folded sulkily. He rested his feet, still clad in shoes, on top of one of the velvet cushions - an action which would earn him a severe scolding if anyone other than his brother were to catch him.

"Yes" Regulus pressed on, undeterred. "Like I said, we can look through some of Grandfather's books. See-"

The younger boy hurried over to his pile of books on the rug, grabbing a particularly grim-looking volume bound in moulding, black leather which looked to be several hundred years old.

"I've already started. We haven't seen this one before. Look, it's got all sorts of horrid-"

"I don't _care_ about your stupid books!"

Taken aback by the force of his brother's shout, Regulus stood in stunned silence as, in one swift move, Sirius stood up, snatched the book from him and hurled it furiously across the room.

The younger boy gasped as the book went flying, the yellowed pages flapping like wings as it hurled towards an end table on which sat a large, hideous vase. Even Sirius's eyes widened in horror as he realised what was about to happen.

But, to the surprise of both boys, the book froze in mid air, it's pages askew, mere centimetres away from the vase.

"I wouldn't want to be either of you for all the gold in Gringotts when Arcturus finds out you've broken his dear old grandmother's favourite wedding present"

Sirius whipped his head round towards the sound of the amused-sounding adult voice.

In the doorway of the library, his wand casually aimed in the direction of the book frozen in mid air, stood Alphard Black. He leaned against the doorway, as though he had been standing there quite comfortably for any amount of time, a bemused half-smile aimed at his two young nephews.

"Uncle Alphard!" Regulus squeaked in alarm at the presence of an adult - even if it was only Alphard. "We're sorry! We were just-"

"How long were you standing there?" Sirius demanded, unashamed.

"Oh, not long" the elder wizard chuckled in amusement at his nephew's impertinence. "Though I daresay I arrived just in time, from the looks of things"

He strode forward into the room, waving his wand at the book suspended in the air. It gracefully closed itself and fluttered down onto the writing desk in the corner.

From his perch beside the desk, Hades craned his long neck down at the book and let out a disapproving, growl-like chirp. His blue eyes narrowed accusingly at Sirius.

"Now then," Alphard pocketed his wand inside his robes pocket and walked forward to stand before the pair. "What possible cause would you two boys have to be squabbling about that would warrant attempting to destroy a priceless family heirloom, hmm?"

Regulus opened his mouth to answer. Sensing the danger of his brother's terminal honesty, Sirius quickly jumped in front of him.

"Reg just wanted me to play some stupid game with him, but I didn't want to. That's all"

"Really?" Alphard cocked an eyebrow, amused. "It must be a truly dull game if it's gotten you so riled up"

Sirius shrugged and scuffed his shoe against the carpet.

"I expect you're feeling glum about being stuck inside on the last day of your holiday" said Alphard knowingly.

Sirius nodded, staring down at the black mark his shoe had left on the carpet.

"I can't say I blame you. It is a lovely day out" Alphard glanced in the direction of the bright sunshine streaming in through the tall windows.

Sirius's wistful gaze followed, letting out a longing sigh.

"Here, I know what will cheer you two up"

Alphard gave a click of his fingers. With a loud pop and a cloud of purple smoke, a large, wooden travelling trunk appeared at his feet. It was a particularly impressive feat of wandless summoning magic which the wizard had mastered during his time spent with a tribe of wizards in rural Siberia.

Sirius's face instantly lit up as he recognised the trunk. It was the one in which his uncle stored his collection of weird and wonderful artefacts, gathered from his worldly travels. The vast majority were destined for his own personal collection, the minority for the family vaults.

But experience had taught Sirius that there were always one or two items destined for - in his mind, at least - a much more worthy recipient.

"Presents!" he shouted, grinning excitedly.

Even Regulus's drooping demeanour instantly perked up, like a wilting flower given a shot of growth tonic.

Alphard chuckled at the children's predictable response.

"Yes, indeed. Though I do wonder-"

Alphard took out his wand and gave it a flick at the trunk. The brass latches clicked open loudly.

Sirius twitched with excitement at the sound, reminding his bemused uncle of a pup at the sound of a treat jar opening.

"-if the pair of you ought to have any presents at all"

Sirius's face fell instantly.

"What?" He stared, open-mouthed in disbelief at his uncle.

"Well, what with all this squabbling going on between you, I doubt your mother would approve of either of you being given any treats" Alphard gave a half-smile of mock disappointment. "She might accuse me of rewarding your bad behaviour"

Regulus stared sadly down at his shoes, subdued.

But Sirius pointed an accusing finger up at his uncle.

"You're fibbing!" he said. "You don't care what Mama thinks. She doesn't like you giving us presents whether we've been good or bad. And besides, you wouldn't have brought down the trunk if you didn't have anything for us"

Alphard let out a hearty laugh.

"My my, aren't you a clever little scamp?"

Sirius beamed at the praise.

"Alright, I confess, I was bluffing. _However_, I will say that these are not exactly _gifts,_ per say, but more of a business transaction. I'll let you have them, so long as I have your word - both of you, man to man - that there'll be no more of this silly fighting between you"

The elder wizard took a moment to gauge the reactions of the two boys. Regulus looked solemn. No doubt he would have declared he would behave better in an instant if ordered to, without any need for gifts as an incentive.

Sirius, however, looked far more critical of the offer, no doubt weighing up whether the promised gift was likely to be worth upholding his end of the bargain.

Alphard's silver eyes twinkled down at him curiously. His limited but memorable encounters with the elder of his two nephews left him with no doubt that the boy would never turn down the offer of a gift from far off and exotic lands, in spite of the reluctant impression he tried to give.

"Alright. It's a deal" Sirius finally announced.

To his uncle's amusement, the boy stuck out his hand in the offer of a shake to seal the deal.

Alphard couldn't help but chuckle, earning himself an indignant scowl from his young nephew. Sirius's face softened, however, when Alphard grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Very well then, now that we've struck a bargain…"

Alphard reached down to lift the heavy lid of the trunk. Both boys craned their necks eagerly.

"First of all, Regulus-"

The younger boy's eyes widened in surprise at being called first. He hurried forward to stand beside the trunk.

When Alphard's hand emerged from the depths of the drunk, it was grasped around a most peculiar-looking item. Long, deep-brown in colour and with a slight curve.

"A rotten banana?" Sirius asked, his nose wrinkled.

Alphard laughed.

"That would be a rather disappointing present indeed" he said with a shake of his head. "No, this is something _far_ more impressive"

He held it out to his younger nephew. Regulus took it, running his fingers up and down the rough texture curiously.

"It is a preserved acromantula fang, from the island of Borneo" Alphard announced. "Harmless now, of course. Drained of venom. But if you look here-" He turned the fang in Regulus's hand to point to a round hole visible at the top of the fang, running through the length of it. "There's the hole through which the venom once ran. Just as the creature made it's death bite. Isn't that exciting?"

Regulus looked as though he thought it was anything but. The boy's already-pale face had blanched further, and Sirius was sure he could see a greenish tinge. He prayed his wet little brother wouldn't cause a scene by being sick all over the rich, pristine carpet. That would only further annoy Arcturus, and then Sirius might not be able to keep the fang which he felt sure Regulus would toss to him at the soonest opportunity.

"Th-thank you, Uncle" Regulus stammered politely with a forced smile.

Sirius had to admire his brother's ability to sound grateful for a gift which would no doubt give him bad dreams that night. Dreams which Sirius knew he'd end up lumbered with comforting him after.

"You're very welcome" Alphard replied, not seeming to notice the way Regulus's fingers trembled with the effort of resisting the urge to hurl the fang as far away from him as possible.

"Now, for Sirius-"

Sirius, who had been staring wistfully at his brother's acromantula fang, snapped his gaze up to Alphard. Excitement rose within him as he watched his uncle reach into the case once more… and fell when he withdrew a rather ordinary-looking brown satchel.

"A satchel?" Sirius asked, obviously disappointed.

"I'm afraid so" Alphard replied, with a feigned, apologetic smile.

Sirius felt his cheeks flush as he realised what he'd said. Only last week, his mother had chastised him for his lack of gratitude when given a gift of new gobstones - a different coloured set than what he'd hoped for - and had withdrawn them entirely as punishment.

He wondered if his uncle might decide against giving him anything at all now, but Alphard's amused smirk and twinkling gaze bore no resemblance to the angry disapproval he'd have been right to expect from Walburga.

"If you'd care to reserve judgement for a few moments, you'll see-"

To the surprise of both boys, Alphard knelt down on the floor to hold out the satchel to their level. How so unlike the rest of the adults their curious, elusive uncle was. Sirius could scarcely imagine his mother kneeling on the floor in one of her ever-pristine gowns to be on his level.

"-that this particular satchel is not made of any ordinary leather" Alphard gestured for Sirius to peer closely at the texture of the material. "It's _dragon_ leather"

Sirius remained unconvinced.

"But aren't lots of things made out of dragon leather, Uncle?" he asked, careful not to sound too critical. It may only be a satchel, but a present was a present, after all.

"That is true," Alphard nodded. "But very few things are made of _Peruvian Vipertooth_ dragonhide"

Sirius's eyes widened. He remembered the image of the Peruvian Vipertooth dragon in his copy of _An Encyclopaedia of Dragons_ at home. Far from an impressive dragon in size, the Peruvian Vipertooth was a dragon renowned for it's particularly soft, shining scales - and it was notoriously hard to catch.

"Wow!" Sirius grinned as he leaned in closer to examine the detailing of the satchel. On closer inspection, he realised that the brown leather was in fact a deep shade of copper which glinted in the light at a certain angle.

"You see?" Alphard arched an eyebrow, triumphant. "You ought to remember not to judge so fast. And I haven't even told you the best part about it, yet"

"What's that?" Sirius stood up straight and eager.

"This satchel is charmed so that it may carry any number of things within it, regardless of their size or weight. Why, you could fit that whole bookcase in here-" The wizard pointed to the vast, wall-length bookcase across from them. "-And you could carry it as light as if it were empty"

"Isn't that just an Extension Charm, Uncle Alphard?" piped Regulus, somewhat hesitantly. He held onto his acromantula fang by the very tips of his fingers.

"Very similar, my boy, very similar indeed" replied Alphard. He shot his nephew an impressed look at his knowledge of such spells at such a young age. "This particular spell, however, originates from a remote community of wizards that live in the Pariacaca mountain range in Peru. Their flare for such charms is rather more, shall we say, reliable than ours. Your average Extension Charms can be slippery things - quite literally. Too many items in one bag and it could all get rather cluttered. You shan't have any such problem with this bag. It will all stay far more organised. You could tip it upside down and the items inside will stay precisely how you put them. And, of course, these types of charms are not subject to the same Ministry regulation as standard Extension Charms are. Call it an added bonus"

Alphard placed the satchel into Sirius's waiting hands and stood up once more, placing his hands on his hips.

"I expect that you'll be glad of such a thing when you start school in September, Sirius" He said with a pleased smile.

Sirius looked up at his uncle, his head tilted to one side. Alphard was briefly reminded of a confused puppy.

"But I don't start school until next year, Uncle" said the boy.

Alphard frowned, clearly caught off-guard.

"Ah" he said, vaguely. He looked off to the size, deep in thought. His head nodded slightly as though counting.

"But I still like it!" Sirius added, quickly. He clutched the satchel to his chest. He hoped his uncle wouldn't now decide to withhold his present until next year. "I'm sure it will be useful even before I go to Hogwarts. Thank you Uncle Alphard"

He was careful to flash his best smile up at the wizard in the hope that it would be enough to win him what he wanted.

Alphard chuckled.

"You're very welcome. It seems I was right. That _does _seem to have cheered you both up"

Regulus, his face still pale, forced what he hoped looked like a grateful smile.

Sirius had no need to force a grin. His present, what he'd prematurely written off as dull, had sparked a fresh and vibrant plan in his mind - one which he was determined to put into practice immediately. If only he could find some way out of this house…

"Now then, since it is the last day of your holiday and the weather is so delightful, how about you two go and have a quick run-around outside, hmm?"

Sirius's heart leaped.

"Yes!" He grinned delightedly, scarcely able to believe his luck.

"But Uncle Alphard, Mama said we weren't to play outside today," said Regulus.

Sirius groaned. Why did his little brother always insist on being such a goody-two-shoes?

"Oh, I think we can bend the rules, just this once" said Alphard with a glint in his eye. "I'm sure your Mama would prefer it if you were both in far more agreeable moods after a good dose of fresh air before you return to stuffy old London. Nevertheless, perhaps it's best if you slipped out through the front way, where she won't see you. She's taking tea on the back terrace with Cygnus" He let out a chuckle. "Berating him about what to do with those daughters of his, no doubt"

Alphard lazily clicked his fingers again and the trunk disappeared in another cloud of purple smoke. He turned away and strode off towards the door, pausing at the last moment to turn back to his nephews.

"Best make sure you're both back inside before the hour is up, I'd say - to be safe" he said. "There's only so long my dear brother will tolerate our sister's nagging"

Sirius smiled. It felt good to hear someone speak so candidly about his mother's bossiness.

With a wink of farewell, the wizard was gone.

The second the door was shut behind him, Regulus let out a desperate yelp.

"Take it, Sirius, please!"

Sirius turned just in time to see his brother toss the acromantula fang out of his hand as though it were a red-hot poker. It hurtled through the air towards him. Sirius caught it neatly.

"You're such a wimp, Reg" he chuckled as he peered closely at the fang with interest. "It's not like it's a real spider. It's only a small piece of one"

"You wouldn't understand" Regulus replied grimly as he wiped his hands on his trousers, as if attempting to wipe away the feeling of ever having held the fang at all.

"I don't think I want to," Sirius tucked the fang inside his new satchel. "Now come on, you heard Uncle Alphard, we haven't got long!"

Sirius tore across the room - not in the direction of the door, as Regulus had expected him to, but towards the writing desk across the room.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" the younger boy asked, dreading the answer he'd receive.

"Not now, Reg" Sirius snapped as he rummaged through the drawers in search of something. Sat on his perch beside the desk, Hades's blue eyes peered down at the boy suspiciously. "Aha!"

He pulled out a small bottle of black ink and tossed it once into the air triumphantly before stashing it away inside his new satchel.

"Alright, let's go!"

Sirius ran back across the library, grabbing his brother by the arm as he passed.

"Come _on_, Reg. You heard Uncle Alphard, we only have half an hour or so" he urged as he ran out of the library and down the corridor, Regulus stumbling after him.

The boys' hurried footsteps were thankfully muffled by the thick carpet which covered the upstairs floors of Noire House. Once they reached the bottom of the staircase, however, they had to practically tiptoe to stop their movements echoing through the tall entrance hall on the polished wood floor.

Sirius winced as the front door creaked threateningly when he eased it open - Uncle Alphard might have given them permission to venture outside, but he wouldn't put it past any passing adult to revoke it in an instant, should they be caught.

As the pair slid out through the narrow opening, Sirius breathed a sigh of relief as the warm sunshine washed over his face.

It felt good to be free.

"I'll race you to that tree - that one, over there" Sirius pointed vaguely in the direction of a cluster of trees far across the meadow, right on the edge of the forest. "Ready, set, go!"

Giving Regulus no time to offer any protest, Sirius broke into a sprint and practically flew through the tall grass at an astonishing speed for a boy with a bulky leather satchel clanging against his side.

Regulus took off after him, knowing full well that he was destined to lose - Sirius was always so much faster than him - but far too relieved that the elder boy was now in a better mood to mind.

As he finally reached the shade of the trees, gasping for breath, Regulus was intrigued to find Sirius crouched behind a large tree, peering intently out into the distance, his gaze transfixed like a predator eyeing up its prey.

"What is it, Sirius?" Regulus asked, still catching his breath.

"I've got a plan to rescue my crup"

Regulus's heart sank.

"Oh no"

Sirius dealt his brother a look of sharp determination.

"Don't go all chicken on me now, Reg. I need your help"

Regulus considered. He so loathed the idea of the depth of the trouble the pair of them would be in if they were caught in their endeavour. But Sirius has said he needed him. In spite of the risk, Regulus couldn't deny that the concept of being a vital part of the plan sparked something within him. A sense of pride - a desire to please.

Sirius was always in such an agreeable mood when he was pleased with him.

"Alright…" he found himself muttering. "What do I need to do?"

Sirius's face lit up into an excited grin once more.

"You're the best, Reg!" He gave his brother a slap on the back. Regulus couldn't help but smile at the praise. "Don't worry, you have the easy job, honest. All you have to do is stand right here and keep look-out whilst I sneak into the shed and get my cruppie"

"I don't know about this, Sirius" The elder boy's face immediately darkened, but Regulus pressed on, undeterred. "There's no way you can get away with it. Even if you did steal the crup, the half-blood will surely notice that it's missing soon enough and tell Grandpapa"

"No he won't. Last night, in the passageway, I heard old Arcturus saying he thinks that Stokes is going blind"

As he always did when Sirius referred to their grandfather so disrespectfully, Regulus cringed.

"I reckon he wouldn't notice just one cruppie going missing. There's enough of them, after all, and they wriggle and run about so, surely they must be hard to keep track of, especially when they're all blurry"

"I suppose that's true…" Regulus reasoned. "But, the one you want is the odd one, isn't it? The one with the queer tail? Surely he'd notice _that_ one was missing"

"It is not queer" Sirius scowled, offended. Regulus shrank back. "But don't worry. I've got a plan for that, see?"

Sirius gave his brother a confident wink as he dug his hand inside his new satchel and pulled out the bottle of ink he had snatched from the writing desk in the library.

"I'm going to paint one of the tail tips of another cruppie black, so he thinks he still sees the odd one out"

"But suppose the kennel manager finds you in there? He knows we're not to go back inside the compound again"

"Don't worry, he's out exercising one of the groups of dogs" Sirius shrugged dismissively as he placed the ink bottle back inside his satchel. "I've seen him through the window these last few days. He's always gone for a good hour with each group and he'd only just set out before we came outside. We've got bags of time"

"But… Suppose he comes back early? Or you can't get the lock undone again?"

"I can so get the lock undone!" Sirius's voice was indignant. "You know I can, you've seen me do it loads of times. And anyway, that's why you're the lookout, silly. To warn me if he's coming back"

Sirius dug deep into the pocket of his robes and pulled out what appeared to be a small, china ornament in the shape of a bird, painted a familiar shade of deep blue.

"A toy jobberknoll?" Regulus cocked his head, puzzled.

"It's a bird whistle," Sirius explained. "Look here, see the hole in the tail?"

Regulus peered closed and noticed the small hole in the moulded china tail feathers.

"It's charmed so that when you blow through it, it shrieks like a dying jobberknoll. You know that before they die, they scream every word they've ever heard, backwards? It's supposed to sound ghastly"

Regulus furrowed his brow in confusion at how amusing Sirius seemed to find this.

"Why on Earth would anyone want to make such a horrid sound?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently.

"Because it scares the jobberknolls out of the trees, idiot! When they hear the sound of another jobberknoll dying, they get scared and fly away. That's how we hunt them - scare them out of the trees so that we can shoot them down"

Sirius spoke in the lofty, knowing tone of one who had attended many such hunts in his time.

Regulus, having had to tiptoe around his brother's stormy temper only last week after his repeated begging to accompany their father on a jobberknoll shoot had been ignored, decided against pointing out the fact that Sirius's own experience of jobberknoll shooting had yet to make it past throwing stones up at the tree branches on which they perched, unphased.

"Wherever did you get it?"

"Swiped it from the hunting storeroom during our visit last Easter" Sirius smirked mischievously. "I'd hoped we might have a chance to use it soon. Maybe today's the day!"

Sirius held out the china whistle to his brother.

"You just have to keep look-out," he explained. "And if you see Stokes coming back with the dogs, blow the whistle, hard. The sound will send the birds flying and I'll see the warning signal from the kennel block and I'll know to make a run for it. It can't fail"

Regulus wished he could share his brother's conviction. He wished he could summon the willpower to air his doubts, to attempt to spare them both what would surely be the worst trouble they'd ever been in if the plan should fail.

But Sirius looked so determined, so fired up. There was always something about him, when he was in this particular grip of determination, that made him seem happy. In moments such as this, his brother reminded Regulus of one of the crups themselves - straining at the lead, charged up and excited for the thrill of the hunt. Sirius never seemed quite as cheerful than when he was in the grip of what was - in his mind, at least - a daring and exciting plan.

Somehow, Regulus couldn't quite summon the willpower to deny his brother what he wanted of him.

"Alright. I'll keep look-out" he said, taking the whistle.

"Nice one, Reg," said Sirius. He flashed a wide grin that Regulus couldn't help but return. "I'll be back soon, promise"

Very soon I hope, Regulus thought to himself as Sirius turned away and dashed out of the trees.

Regulus stared after him as he raced across the meadow towards the kennel compound with his new satchel bouncing awkwardly against his side. He took a deep breath, steadying himself against the tree trunk he hid behind as he watched his brother disappear into the long grass.

The sounds of the forest mingled with the sound of his nervous, heavy breathing. Above his head, the tree branches rustled in the light summer breeze, peppered with the occasional sounds of the chirping of birds.

Regulus looked up at the treetops and spotted several species of birds perched on the branches, including a fair few jobberknolls. Of course, he knew that jobberknolls were silent birds, aside from their awful dying cry, but their presence among the other birds was notable in other ways. Their deep blue feathers stood out starkly against the deep green of the canopy, vividly bright and shining compared to the dull grey and brown feathers of their non-magical companions.

It occurred to Regulus, as he craned his neck further to stare at the branches high above him, that he'd never really taken the time to properly observe the birds before. Every time he'd spotted them in the trees, he'd been too preoccupied with Sirius's demands that he help him rummage around the ground for suitable stones for him to practice attempting to "shoot" them down with.

It was rather nice, he thought to himself, to simply admire the birds that sat happily in the treetops, undisturbed by any budding young hunters.

After several minutes, Regulus felt his nerves begin to grow. How long would Sirius be? He'd promised to be back soon… but just how soon _was_ soon? His eyes scoured the meadow for any sign of approaching danger. The surrounding grass remained blissfully empty.

Occasionally, Regulus's gaze wandered back towards the house. He swallowed nervously, imagining his mother peering out through the windows of the tiny manor in the distance, her hawkish gaze catching them in the thick of their plot…

A jolt of nerves stirred in the pit of his stomach. He turned back to the empty meadow and whispered beggingly for Sirius to return soon.

At last, a figure began to appear across the meadow - but it wasn't Sirius. It was the half-blood kennel manager, returned from exercising the pack of crups milling around his legs. Regulus could just make out the silvery glow of the magical leads protruding from the end of his wand.

"Oh, help!" Regulus gasped anxiously. His head whipped round at all angles, scouring the area for any sign of Sirius, but to no avail.

His fingers trembled around the little china bird in his hand. This was it. Sirius was counting on him. He lifted the bird to his mouth and blew firmly into the hole moulded into the tail feathers.

The air around him was instantly flooded with the most awful sound Regulus had ever heard. A torrent of unintelligible words flooded out of the beak of the bird whistle, their meaning lost in the echo chamber which the forest edge had become. Regulus dropped the whistle and clamped his hands tight over his ears in a desperate bid to block out the overpowering sound.

Suddenly, the noise of the jobberknoll cry was punctured by a sound which, at first, Regulus thought was thunder, such was it's deep, foreboding rumble. But as he looked up to the treetops, he saw that the forest canopy was alive with the fluttering of deep-blue feathers flapping about chaotically as the jobberknolls fled at the sound of their dying kin. Peppered amongst the sea of blue were the darker feathers of the non-magical birds, spooked by the jobberknolls' panic. Regulus watched in awe as the birds - far more than he thought he'd seen at first glance - took off through the branches and disappeared far off into the summer sky.

Such a spectacle could surely been seen clearly from wherever Sirius was.

Regulus stared hard at the kennel compound across the meadow for no fewer than five minutes in desperate hope of making out any sign of his brother, but none appeared.

"Come on, Sirius…" Regulus muttered. His foot tapped anxiously against a risen tree root. "Where _are_ you?"

He'd been caught. He must have been. There was no other explanation as to why he wasn't back yet. The kennel manager must have caught him red-handed. In spite of the summer heat, Regulus shivered. Dreadful thoughts of how cross their mother would be when this most heinous of crimes was reported to her. Papa would give them one of his cold, stern looks. And when Regulus attempted to imagine just how livid Arcturus would be when he discovered that his own grandsons had tried to steal one of his prized dogs, the sting of tears began to prick the corners of his eyes.

"Rawr!"

"Ah!"

Regulus jumped as something grabbed him by the shoulders and stumbled backwards, tripping over the rising tree root and landing on his back in the dirt.

Standing over him with a Chesire cat grin, Sirius laughed.

"Got you, Reg!"

"Sirius! That wasn't funny"

"Yes it was. Where's your sense of humour?"

Sirius grasped his brother by the hand and hauled him up to his feet. Regulus noticed, with a note of relief, that he was empty-handed.

"How did you get back?" Regulus asked, brushing down his robes. "I didn't see you"

"I snuck back through the edge of the forest" Sirius airily aimed a kick at a nearby stone. "Thought 'd give you a bit of a jump. Though you gave me a fright myself with that trick with the whistle! I said only to blow it when someone was coming"

"There _was_ someone coming! The half-blood was coming back with the crups. I thought he was going to catch you"

"Oh" Sirius stared back at the kennel compound and tilted his head, puzzled. "I must have already been out of there by then"

"I'm sorry you didn't get your crup, Sirius" Regulus offered his brother a sympathetic look. "But at least you didn't get caught. We'd have both been in such awful trouble"

Sirius's face stretched into a wide, mischievous smirk.

"I did get the crup, Reg"

But- Then where is it?"

Regulus glanced about the surrounding area, half-expecting a dog to come dashing out from behind whichever tree Sirius had bade it hide behind, ready to give him a second spook.

Instead, Sirius swung the satchel at his side round to his front and opened it slightly.

Regulus gasped as a shiny black nose shoved it's way through the gap in the dragonhide flap.

"You actually did it!"

"Of course I did!" Sirius puffed out his chest proudly. "Did you think I wouldn't manage it?"

"No, it's not that, it's just-"

An ominous chewing sound emitting from inside the bag stopped Regulus mid-sentence.

"Sirius" The younger boy's voice was low with dread. "What's it eating?"

Sirius whipped open the satchel and peered deep inside.

"Oh, _Merlin!_"

Regulus's eyes widened in horror as his brother dropped the satchel to the floor and dug his hands deep inside, scooping out the cruppie under one arm and prying the acromantula fang out from between his jaws.

"Won't it make him sick? Or… Or worse?" Regulus asked anxiously. He eyed the little dog carefully, only half-expecting it to roll over and die from poisoning any minute.

"Don't be daft, Reg, of course not" said Sirius as he attempted to dodge the puppy's snapping jaws which tried to snatch the fang out of his grasp. The creature practically buzzed with energy, his black-and-white forked tail lashing back and forth manically as he relished this new game. "It's harmless, Uncle Alphard said so. There's no venom left in it"

Several moments of wrestling later, watched by a worried-looking Regulus on the sidelines, Sirius had managed to shove the wriggling cruppie back inside the satchel. He buckled it tightly shut and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you really sure he's going to be alright, Sirius?" Regulus asked his brother.

"Absolutely" Sirius answered firmly, slinging the satchel over his shoulder. "Uncle Alphard wouldn't have given it to us if it was dangerous. Could you imagine Mama's face if he gave us a fang with actual venom inside it? And besides, you heard what Arcturus said the other night-"

Sirius lifted the remaining half of the acromantula fang up to examine it closer. His nose wrinkled in distaste as he examined the gnawed end of the fang, glistening with the dog's saliva, from which a good inch or so was now missing.

"-crups will eat anything"


End file.
